It Had to Be You
by AfewSentencesShortOfaParagraph
Summary: As a love triangle brews between some of the cast members, who will end up winning Aislinn's affections?
1. Chapter 1

**So, here I go again…being intrusive on the actor's lives and such. I'm kind of a terrible person. However, I'm really intrigued by the idea of Sam Earle and Aislinn Paul together. **

**I in no way, shape, or form claim any of this to be non-fiction. I don't claim to know Aislinn's thoughts; or Sam's for that matter. I also don't own Degrassi. I'm just kind of doing this for fun. **

**I don't know if I want to make this a full-blown story, or just a one-shot. So, when you get to the end let me know what you think, pretty please. **

**Also, I'll be posting a new chapter of ****Rhythm of Love**** soon. You know those writers- they get an idea in their head and they just have to let it out. Usually I don't like to have two projects going on at once, but like I said, the idea intrigues me. **

**Anyway, I've rambled long enough. Here goes nothing: **

I sat at the desk in my dressing room, trying to quickly go over the scene I was filming today a few times before I was actually in front of the camera, when I heard a light knock on my door.

"I didn't know you were on set today," Sam smiled fondly at me, leaning on the doorframe.

"I wasn't supposed to be," I grumbled, yawning.

"Someone is a happy camper."

"Just a little tired; not enough coffee. Come on in."

Sam needed no more prompting than that; he strode right over to the couch I kept in my room specifically for 'guests'.

"You're name wasn't on call, either. So, why are you here?"

"We had to rearrange the shoot times because of Munro's movie. He's the reason I'm here, and he's running late."

"The nerve of that boy," Sam feigned outrage, making me chuckle. It didn't matter what kind of mood I was in, when Sam came around he had the endless ability to make me laugh. There was just something about his wit that always sent me into fits of laughter that left me breathless and with a tummy ache. "There's the smile that lights up the world," Sam said, obviously proud that he had lightened the mood.

The funny thing about Sam and me was we were never good friends when our characters were romantically involved. But over the course of shooting season ten we have grown so close that I almost find it hard to believe that we had spent that much time with each other, but never realized how much we enjoyed the other's company. Sam was extremely intelligent, funny, and charming. Aside from Jordan and Munro, he was my very best friend on the set.

"Is there a specific reason you came to distract me from my preparations?" I asked him playfully.

"Ouch," Sam replied, placing his hand over his heart. "No wonder you always have a cup of coffee; you're bitter without it." I stared at him expectantly, waiting. "Fine, I saw your light on, and I wanted to come say hi. I haven't seen you in a while, and I missed you."

"I missed you, too. What's the real reason you're here?"

"Drat…foiled again. I'm bored. Entertain me, monkey!"

"Excuse me?"

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

I deliberated for moment before grabbing my script and hurling it at his head. "As long as you're here you might as well make yourself useful. Is running lines entertaining enough for you?"

He stuck his tongue out at me, rubbing the spot on his forehead where the script had landed. I simply shot him my best innocent smile.

"Fine…but only because you executed that head-shot wonderfully. Your aim has definitely improved."

"I have you to thank. If you weren't so annoying I wouldn't need to throw things nearly as much."

"You have a cold, cold heart."

I rolled my eyes, giggling. This was my favorite part of Sam's and my friendship- the banter. No matter how insulting we got both of us were able to walk away laughing. It was like we had an on-going battle of wits.

"Thank you. It matches my eyes."

"Touché," Sam laughed loudly. "So, where are we taking this thing from?" He was already skimming over the pages. I knew that after he had read it twice he would have both Eli's and Clare's part memorized. I envied him that; Sam was certainly an amazing actor, but nothing compared to his memorization talents.

"I was thinking we could start at the end and work our backwards," I told him, keeping my poker face intact.

"Funny."

"I thought so."

"From the beginning, then?" Sam asked, standing.

"Yes, please," I smiled thankfully at him, and walked over to him so I could glance at the script. I could feel Sam's eyes on me as I scanned for the moment I was looking for. "We'll stop here." I pointed to the place where Eli and Clare kiss, looking up at Sam.

A light blush rose to Sam's cheeks. "Saving the lip action for Munro?"

"Oh, yeah. He's just so dreamy," I joked. The entire cast liked to joke about Munro and me getting together because all the fan-girls seemed to want it so desperately.

"Do you ever miss doing scenes together?" Sam asked suddenly, catching me off guard.

"Yes, I do. I wish we had been closer back then," I admitted.

"Sam smiled. "Better late than never."

"Exactly! So, anyway, in the scene Eli just walked in on Fitz trying to seduce Clare. He's not happy, to say the least. Ready to go?"

"In a second."

I shot him a quizzical look, but Sam ignored me, walking over to the mirror. After a minute he turned to me and I saw that he had parted his hair so that it resembled the way they styled Munro's for Eli. I couldn't help but laugh.

"How do I look?"

"Sam…is that you? Or are you Munro? I can hardly tell the difference!"

"Good."

Then Sam arranged his face in an intense, brooding stare, and launched into the scene.

It took everything I had to stay in character. I wanted so badly to giggle, or break character in some other way, every time Sam opened his mouth to deliver another line. Everything he said was over dramatized, and I was just about to give up trying to be serious when the mood suddenly shifted. The scene was taking a more romantic feel, and Sam dropped his façade, meeting my eyes with sincerity. His joking demeanor had disappeared completely.

"Clare, please, we need to talk about this. I refuse to lose you over something as stupid as Fitz." Sam started walking closer to me, his tall frame looming over me. For a second I lost all sense of where I was. As soon as Sam started taking the scene seriously it was easy to see him transform into Eli. He really was talented, and I was lost in his performance.

He was almost doing a better job at the part than Munro…which was saying a lot.

"I don't want to lose you either, but I think it's best if we take a break. There is just so much both of us have to work out," I whispered.

Sam grabbed my hand, making my heart rate speed up. "Why can't we work everything out together?"

I paused for a moment, trying to get a handle on my spinning emotions. '_I'm just in character_,' I told myself feebly. In reality, I knew that it was Sam proximity that was having a strange affect on me. Finally, I delivered my next line. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Well, then give me a chance to change your mind."

"How?"

Sam started to lean in on my line, and it caused my voice to be just above a whisper. This was supposed to be our stopping point, but Sam had either forgotten, or was just so into the scene that he didn't want to stop. I wasn't about to stop him…I didn't want to.

All I could see were those soft hazel eyes getting closer and closer until the lightest pressure of Sam's lips against mine overrode any other sensation in my body and mind.

The rhythm of our kiss was familiar, comfortable. Sam and I had kissed a few times on-screen as our characters, but it had never held this kind of urgency before. It was different, peculiar.

As Sam's lips moved against mine I felt my hands wrap themselves around his neck almost as if they had a mind of their own. My fingers tangled themselves in the chestnut hair at the nape of his neck, causing Sam to shiver lightly. I smiled into the kiss, and Sam's arms wound around my waist, pulling me closer to him. For a fleeting second I hoped that he would never let go.

However, a surprised voice from my doorway made Sam and I jump away from each other as if we had been caught doing something we shouldn't be- like we had been shocked.

"Um, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt anything…," Munro's eyes darted back and forth between Sam and me. I felt my cheeks grow hotter by the second. "We're needed on set, Aislinn."

I nodded at Munro, and then practically darted out of the room.

What the hell had just happened?

**So, like I said, I don't know if I should make this stand alone, or continue the story. Let me know what you think, please. =)**

**Again, even though I know they will never see this, I apologize to Sam and Aislinn for making up stories about their personal lives. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	2. The Plot Thickens

**So, the vote was pretty much unanimous. I'm making this a full-blown story! **

**And, I have the second chapter here for your enjoyment. **

**I took into consideration a suggestion/request from escaperealityforawhile, so this chapter has a few different points of view. However, this is most definitely, essentially a Smace fiction…so, yeah. You'll know why I prefaced this by the end of the chapter. Anyway, enjoy! =)**

Usually Munro and I had a natural chemistry on camera, allowing us to shoot scenes with ease. On average we had to do a maximum of two or three takes.

Today, it took us nine total for me to nail it.

Stephen, Munro, and the rest of the crew were patient with me; assured me that everyone has their off days, and I shouldn't sweat it. It was sweet of them, but I could tell they were all quickly growing weary.

I just couldn't stop picturing Sam taking Munro's place as Eli, and that was making the kiss extremely awkward. Every time Munro would lean in I would flinch, seeing hazel eyes instead of the deep green in front of me, sandy blonde hair instead of the black mop.

In other words, I simply could not focus.

Finally, Stephen called for a lunch break, saying we would come back to the scene in an hour.

I sighed in relief, immediately making my way to the cafeteria to see what they were offering. After I had purchased some pasta salad, I mentally debated where to sit.

I was just about to run back to my dressing room, lock the door, and eat alone in there when a low voice whispered in my ear. "Want to eat with me?"

I turned to see Munro gesturing to the picnic tables outside in the sun, a raging curiosity subdued in his eyes and voice.

"Um…sure."

I followed him outside as he passed the tables, and plopped down beneath the giant oak tree, making himself comfortable in the grass. I slid down the tree beside him, settling myself against the firm trunk.

We sat in a slightly uncomfortable, in my case anyway, silence for a few minutes. Munro was munching on his sandwich, but my nerves wouldn't let me eat much. There was just too much jumbled energy in my stomach, so I had no room for food.

"So…you and Sam, huh? It's about time."

His breaking of the silence, not to mention his actual words, caught me completely off guard.

"What?"

"I just mean you two have been dancing around each other for a while now. Come on, Ace, don't give me that look. I know sexual tension when I see it."

"I don't even…huh? Sam and I are not together."

"I got a very different idea walking in on you two earlier."

I laughed darkly. "He was helping me practice the scene we're working on today…we just got carried away. It was a mistake."

I wanted so badly to believe my feeble lie, but it was just that- a lie. And I could tell Munro wasn't buying it. Either way, though, Sam and I could never work out. We were co-workers, and that was the definition of a bad idea.

"If telling yourself that makes you feel better, then fine. But you can't look me in the eye, and honestly tell me Sam isn't the reason you keep screwing up our scene. Or the reason you're all uncharacteristically jumpy."

"Who died and made you Dr. Phil?" I asked grouchily.

Munro chuckled, seeming to take my anger as a conformation. "I'm just looking out for a friend. I'm here if you need to talk."

With that, Munro picked himself off the ground, ruffled my hair affectionately, and made his way back inside.

Usually I was the one giving Munro advice; offering up my listening services. I mean, our relationship was similar to an older brother, younger sister dynamic, but I had always felt like the mature one. Not that Munro was infantile; he was just way too sweet in an endearing, naïve kind of way.

I slowly finished my lunch, thinking about how I wanted to proceed with what had happened today. It might actually be nice to have someone to bounce ideas off; I may end up taking Munro's offer to talk.

I was feeling much more relaxed when the lunch hour was over, and Munro and I nailed the scene on the first take back. It was the only thing we were filming that day, so Stephen dismissed us right after we wrapped.

"Looks like someone's lunch break helped them chill out. You must have talked to someone really helpful."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Munro and I shared a quick smile before he leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. "Good luck with everything. I've gotta jet. See you tomorrow, Ace!"

I waved after him, and made my way back to my dressing room.

When I got there, there was a note taped to my door reading:

Ace,

Wanna come to my place after I'm done filming today?

-Sam

**-Munro's Point of View-**

I walked to my car, slipped in, and locked the door before releasing my exasperated sigh.

I had these feelings for Aislinn for a while now. I knew she didn't return the feelings, but when she didn't deny having feelings for Sam I had felt like I had literally been socked in the gut.

Aislinn was smart, gorgeous, funny, compassionate, and talented…by definition out of my league.

That wasn't even the biggest issue, though. Aislinn, although a million times more mature, was so much younger than me.

So why was I so disappointed to learn that she was harboring feelings of the romantic nature for someone else? It didn't make sense, but it crushed me all the same.

I shook my feelings of dismay off and started to drive toward my movie set. Just as I was pulling out of Epitome Pictures' parking lot, my phone started to buzz in my pocket.

The caller ID alerted a call from Aislinn, so I immediately flipped the phone open.

"When I said I was here if you wanted to talk I hadn't expected you to come around so soon."

The truth was I didn't really want to hear about any part of Sam and Aislinn's budding relationship, but it would kill me to deprive Aislinn of someone to talk to. If she needed me, I would be there. Not to mention, not knowing about their relationship would drive me even more insane than hearing about it would. I truly was a messed up man.

"Sam invited me over after he's done filming. Munro, I don't know what to do!"

"So you're admitting that you like him…more than a friend?"

"What? Are we in, like, middle school?"

"Answer the question, Ace."

After a long pause I heard Aislinn mutter, "Yes."

"Then I don't really see the problem here." The words burned on the way out. I didn't want to encourage this, but if it would make her happy, so be it.

"We're co-workers. Do you really not see the problem?"

"Okay, fine, but there isn't any reason you can't go over there and let him know you just want to stay friends. Tell him you thought today was a mistake; that you were caught in the moment, and you need to keep your relationship platonic for the time being."

"Wow, that's good. Yeah, I guess that would work. Thanks so much, love."

My heart swelled as her voice lost the panicked edge.

"I'm glad you think so. And it's not a problem. I'm almost to set, though."

"Oh, sorry. I'll see you tomorrow."

The line went dead, and I sighed.

Why had I gotten myself in the middle of this mess?

**-Sam's Point of View-**

"Someone's happy today," Jessica greeted me. I had just left Aislinn's dressing room after taping a note to her door. Even though Ace had left in a hurry I was confident we were both on the same page in regard to the kiss.

I had always thought Ace was a pretty girl, but when we started getting closer, her personality was what really drew me in.

I had never felt so comfortable, so free to be myself, around anyone before. Most of the time my crazy rambling was lost on people, but Aislinn always knew what I was talking about. That was what really indicated that she was worth fighting for. Aislinn was one of a kind, and her individuality complimented mine perfectly.

"Exceptionally," I replied to Jess, throwing in a blinding smile for good measure. "Top 'o' the morning to ya."

"Do I dare ask what put you in such an 'exceptionally' good mood?"

"You needn't bother; I don't kiss and tell."

"What? Who did you kiss?"

"Do you listen to me when I talk to you?"

"Actually, I usually don't. You talk in circles."

I stuck my tongue out at her as Stephen breezed onto the set, calling for places. Jess and I took our marks, and we started filming.

To say I was distracted would be a major understatement. The entire time Jess and I were working I simply could not stop my mind from wandering to Aislinn every few seconds. So, it took us an unusually long period of time to get the one scene right, and we still had a few more scenes on the shooting schedule for the afternoon. Even though it took longer, eventually we got the desired effect, and Stephen called a wrap.

"Today must just be an off day," Stephen mused aloud. "Aislinn was off her game, too."

My ears perked up at this new information. Aislinn was having trouble concentrating, too? Could it possibly be from the events that had taken place in her room earlier that day? My heart, childishly, started to race at the mere thought of my kiss having such an effect on her. The idea was intoxicating, and I wanted it to prove true.

"You're blushing," Jess pointed out as we made our way back to the dressing rooms. She picked today to be observant? Damn her…

"Thanks for noticing; it probably looks great against my creamy complexion."

"You're so weird. Well, I'll see you around soon, dear."

I nodded at her, barely hearing her parting words because I had noticed a piece of paper taped to my door.

I rushed over, immediately recognizing Aislinn's easy, looping handwriting:

Sam,

Of course I would love to come over. Call me when you're done for the day.

-Ace

I smiled to myself; I knew she liked me!

**-Aislinn's Point of View-**

Trying to do homework as my nerves jittered unabashedly around in my tummy was hell. Add in the fact that I was waiting for Sam to call me, and I didn't have a prayer of doing anything that could be considered productive.

I was still kind of on the fence about the whole situation. I mean, Munro had brought up a valid point- there was no reason Sam and I couldn't just hang out as friends. But, in practice, if we both wanted something more it was never going to work.

Of course, that was assuming that Sam actually had romantic feelings for me. He simply could have been caught up in the moment, and might be relieved when I declare this morning a mistake; something we should put in the past.

Either way, I had already told Sam that I would come over, and I wasn't about to go back on my word.

Just as I was thinking this my phone buzzed next to me on my bed. I practically jumped out of my own skin, my nerves skyrocketing.

I checked the caller ID- Sam.

"All done?"

"We have been wrapped so tight that I can scarce feel my toes."

"So you're as snug as a bug in a rug?"

"I never got that saying. There is no way you could wrap a bug up in a rug. It's simply baffling, not to mention idiotic."

I chuckled, feeling myself relax despite my many worries. Sam and I were just natural, comfortable. It was easy to get lost in the soothing rhythm of our banter. "This coming from the boy who tweets seemingly utter nonsense."

"'Seemingly' being the key word here."

"So…you're home?"

"Nearly; you can start making your way over."

"Alright; see you in a few."

We hung up, and I sprang out of my bed. I hadn't realized I was smiling so hugely until my mom appeared in my doorway.

"Who was that on the phone? They've certainly made you very happy."

"Oh, that was just Sam," I said dismissively, knowing that she would try to make a bigger deal out of the situation than there was. "I'm going over his house. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Do you have all your homework done?"

"Just about…"

"Aislinn!"

"Mom, I'm almost done, and it's not like I have school tomorrow anyway. Besides, when have I ever not found time to complete my work?"

My mom paused, deliberating. "Fine, I'll let you hang out with Sam. Just be home at a decent hour; you've got a big day on set tomorrow."

"I know; I can do that."

"Good. Have a nice time, sweetie." With that she left me alone, headed off to her room. I grabbed my purse as soon as she was clear of the doorway, and headed out the door.

On the way to Sam's I went through several ways I could bring the kiss up, and then how the conversation would go. I was going to drive myself nuts before I even had the chance to talk to him. But there were just so many ways this could go horribly, horribly wrong.

As I was dwelling on all the ways I could easily screw up the perfect friendship I arrived at Sam's door. I took a moment to collect myself before knocking.

After I finally braced myself for what was to come, I gave a few sharp wraps on the door. Here goes nothing…

**Sorry for leaving you there…I guess I'm just an evil person. **

**So, how are you feeling about the direction this has taken? Are you disappointed; do you love it? Let me know, please. **

**Thank you all for reading. =)**


	3. Complicated Relationships

**Hey guys, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update. I mean, I am genuinely sorry; I've been going through a stressful period of time in my life. It's no excuse, and it's not even writers block, I just couldn't get up the energy to write. Wow…I sound depressed, and that's not even the case, but anyway, to make up for it I've decided to give you an extra long chapter! I hope you enjoy. **

**Also, I forgot to disclaim Degrassi in the last chapter. Yeah, that's right, I still don't own it. Such a pity, don't you think? **

**Okay, moving on:**

I took one last deep breath as I waited for the door to be answered. This wasn't going to be easy, but it really had to be done; at least that was what I was trying to convince myself. As I exhaled I tried to push all my fears, doubts, and anxieties out with the breath.

"Fancy meeting you here, beautiful."

Sam swung the door open, an easy but exhilarated smile on his face. Seeing him so happy to have me here made me instantly want to forget what I had planned to say when I got here. All I really wanted to do was pull Sam closer to me and pick up where we left off in my dressing room. Damn, why did boys have to be so confusing…?

"You invited me here, remember?"

"So? It still can't suit my fancy that you're here?"

"I guess I prefer that to you regretting your invitation."

"Bite your tongue, young lady! As if I would ever regret such a thing."

I laughed, but it was just slightly off. My mind had latched on to the word regret, thinking about the things that had happened earlier today. I should regret the kiss, but I didn't. Of course, was this worth screwing up Sam's and my friendship, or, more importantly, our professional relationship? Could we possibly make a romantic relationship work while still maintaining a platonic relationship at work? The words 'we need to talk' bubbled to my lips, but I bit down on my tongue, suppressing them. There was no reason Sam and I couldn't hang out for a little bit…until I was completely ready to talk. I wanted to know exactly what I wanted to say so that I wouldn't hurt Sam.

"So, are we going to stand here all day, or did you actually have something planned for us?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm such a ninny. Of course I want you to come in." Sam grabbed my hand and pulled me into his house. I blushed at the contact, liking how his warm, soft hand fit perfectly in mine. "I figured we could watch a movie, and I already ordered your favorite pizza- black olive; it should be on the way."

He ordered me my favorite pizza; could he be any more of a gentleman? I think not.

"Thanks, I'm starving. What movie did you have in mind?"

"I figured you could help me pick one out; I've got quite a collection."

I chuckled and let Sam lead me into the living room where he kept his collection. I was no stranger in Sam's house, so I knew picking a movie out of the millions he seemed to have was going to take us quite some time.

Just as we had narrowed our choices down to three movies the pizza arrived. Sam insisted on paying, so I gave in, enjoying that this was almost very nearly a date.

'_Stop that_,' I scolded myself. If I kept thinking like that I would never get up the will power to talk to Sam. One way or another, I had to discuss the happenings of today with him.

I settled in on the couch, grabbing a slice of pizza, as Sam sat on the ground in front of me.

"So, Oliver and Company, The Breakfast Club, or He's Just Not That into You?"

I deliberated for a second. "Take Breakfast Club out of the mix."

"Whoa, I thought for sure you were leaning toward Breakfast Club. I feel like I've failed; I'm so disappointed in myself," Sam pretended to sob melodramatically.

"Nonsense! You ordered me my favorite pizza- you passed with flying colors."

"Flying colors, eh? Why not swimming colors?"

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, so Oliver and Company or He's Just Not That into You?"

"You're the guest- you pick."

"He's Just Not That into You," I decided finally, handing Sam the case.

"You're wish is my command, madam."

Sam was joking, but there was a hint of seriousness under the light exterior. I blushed.

After slipping in the movie and turning off the lights, Sam settled into the couch next to me. Our thighs were just barely touching, and I could hardly pay attention to anything but the electric current that seemed to be flowing between our two bodies. As the movie played on I had no idea what was happening; I kept stealing glances up at Sam from under my eyelashes, and I could see that he was paying just as much attention as I was to the movie.

Eventually, Sam slipped his arm around my shoulders. I let out a relieved breath, as if this had been what I was waiting for the entire time. Ever so slowly I settled my head down in the crook of his neck and shoulder with a content sigh, and I let my eyes slide shut. Everything felt amazing, warm, comfortable…

Until I remembered that we still had talking to do. We couldn't keep acting like a couple until I said my piece. Sam had a right to know what was on my mind. My eyes snapped open, and I quickly sat up. I guess, ready or not, Sam and I were going to have to talk about this.

Sam paused the movie and turned to me, a look of confusion on his face.

"Did I do something wrong, Ace?"

"No…I don't know…we need to talk."

**-Sam's Point of View-**

I instantly tensed up. We had to talk? I thought for sure Aislinn and I were on the same page about today, and she had accepted my invitation to come over. I waited, growing more worried as each second passed that Aislinn didn't speak.

"About what?" I finally prompted quietly when I could no longer stand the silence.

"About today; about us and what this entire thing means."

"Okay…so talk; I'm listening."

Aislinn took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts, and looked me right in the eye. For a moment I was caught off guard by the deep blue. Whenever I looked into her eyes I swear I forget everything from my name to how to breathe correctly. Ace is just so damn beautiful.

'_Pay attention_!' I snapped at myself.

"I think…today might have been a mistake," she whispered softly.

I felt like I had been pushed off a cliff, nothing but air beneath me. My stomach plunged down to my feet.

I quickly composed my face, not waiting Ace to see how much that had hurt, and put on my best business deal face.

"What makes you think that?"

"Sam, we work together. I think that's reason enough to just stay friends for the time being. Let's just say we were caught up in the moment, and keep our relationship platonic."

I processed what she was saying and relaxed. It wasn't that Aislinn didn't like me like that; she just thought we had to stay friends because we worked together.

"Only if you can look me in the eye and tell me you honestly don't have feeling s for me."

"Sam," she gave me a pleading look, but didn't continue.

"That's what I thought. Aislinn, I have never felt this way about anyone before. You're sweet, amazing, talented, compassionate, gorgeous…the list goes on. We can make this work, I know we can. So if that's your only fear, that we work together, then we really don't have a problem."

Aislinn seemed to be at a loss for words, her mouth stuck in a surprised 'o'. I could practically see conflicting thoughts flying at full speed through her head.

Finally, she spoke again. "Sam, I like you, too, but…"

That was all I needed to hear. Aislinn liked me, and nothing else mattered, so I cut her off by placing my lips softly but firmly against her full, pink ones. At first she seemed surprised, unresponsive, but then she seemed to melt into me, allowing me to deepen the kiss. It was so much better than the kiss we had shared earlier because I knew I didn't have to control myself; hide in the pretense that it was the moment of the scene.

This was just Aislinn and me, and it was perfect.

**-Aislinn's Point of View-**

It felt amazing; so much better than the first time. I turned my brain off, allowing myself to go on feeling and instinct alone. Sam's lips were gentle against my own, but still passionate, and for a full minute I forgot where I was and how to breathe.

Sam slowly started to pull away, pressing his lips lightly against mine once, twice more. I opened my eyes to find him staring at me, the biggest smile illuminating his face.

"See, what could go wrong? We have undeniable chemistry, Ace."

Why did he have to open his mouth? Just as I was relaxing, forgetting everything I was worried about in the first place, Sam had to go and bring it up. I hung my head in frustration.

"Look Sam, I'm not saying you're wrong…I just…I have to figure things out, okay? Thanks for everything. I had a great time tonight, but I have to go."

"Ace, I'm sorry, I'll slow things down, but please, stay."

Sam grabbed my hand, and I looked down at him. He was pleading with his eyes. My resistance almost cracked.

"I want to, I really do, but I promised my mom I would be home at a decent hour. Munro and I are on set pretty early tomorrow."

Sam dropped my hand. "Oh, alright, well, I'll walk you to the door."

"Can't miss an opportunity to be a perfect gentleman, huh?"

"Please- momma didn't raise no fool!"

And just like that the mood shifted once more to natural flow of Sam's and my relationship. Maybe he was right; maybe we could make this work. I just needed someone to talk to, and lucky for me I had a great friend who had recently offered up his services.

"Really, Sam, thanks for having me over. I had fun." I leaned in to give him a light peck on the cheek, and slipped out the door before he even had time to react.

I inhaled the night air deeply, letting it surround me and clear my mind. I could still feel the way Sam's hand had effortlessly slipped into my own. That kid…if only he knew the way he turned my insides to mush.

I sighed and pulled out my cell phone to check the time. It was 9:30…I thought that gave me enough time to talk to Munro and still be home at a decent hour, so I dialed his number from memory. He answered almost instantly.

"Isn't it kind of early; why aren't you still with Sam?"

"Hi, it's nice to hear from you Aislinn. How is everything?" I prompted sarcastically.

"Hi…but seriously, why aren't you with Sam?"

"I sort of need to talk to you about that. Are you home?"

"Yeah, and Thomas is out for the night, so you can come over and we'll talk."

"Great! Thanks, Munro, I'll owe you one."

"Oh, no doubt about that. Where are you; do you need me to come pick you up?"

"It's not a problem; I can walk."

"Aislinn, state your location. I'm not about to let you walk to my house from wherever you are."

I rolled my eyes; sometimes he reminded me of my mother. "I just left Sam's. I'm practically still on his doorstep, Mr. Hoke Colburn."

"Very funny; who does that make you in this scenario- Miss Daisy?"

I put on my best southern accent. "The one an' only."

I could practically hear Munro's eyes roll. "Don't move. I'll be there in five."

"Oh, whatever would I do without you?" I did my best damsel in distress impression without dropping the accent.

There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the line. "You kill me, Ace."

I smiled as the line disconnected, and settled into the bench conveniently located not five feet from where I was standing.

I was so lucky to have a friend like Munro.

**-Munro's Point of View-**

She wanted to talk about what happened with Sam tonight. I couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing, but during the drive to pick Ace up I let all kinds of hypothetical's rush through my head.

Had she told him they should remain friends? Did he listen to her? Did they fight? Had she decided that she actually did want a relationship with him? Worse- did they kiss again?

I was literally going to drive myself insane. Unrequited love sucks.

Not a moment too soon I spotted Ace on a bench a few blocks away from Sam's pad. She seemed to be engrossed by her phone, and didn't even notice me pull up. This could prove fun…

I turned off all my lights and drove right past her, parking a couple blocks away. I slipped out of the car, and crept through the darkness so I was standing right behind the bench. Ace still hadn't looked up from her phone, so I lowered my head till it was on the same level as her ear and whispered, "Boo!"

Aislinn screeched, and shot up into the air. As soon as the fear drained out of her features, anger replaced it. "Munro, you are a dead man."

It was so cute that she actually thought she was menacing, her hands balled up into fists and her hair flopping in her eyes. "Bring it on," I laughed, taking off in the direction of my car.

Without a second of hesitation, Aislinn was after me, sprinting full speed ahead. She was fast, I had to give her that much. In fact, she was gaining on me pretty quickly, and I was not going to let her ruin my fun by actually catching me, so I spun around, holding my arms open wide.

Aislinn was shocked by this turn of events, but couldn't slow down before she ran into my chest. I engulfed her in my arms spinning her around. She smelled like coconut, and I savored the scent as it surrounded me.

"Gotcha," I smiled, keeping her trapped in the circle of my arms.

"Not fair," Aislinn muttered against my chest. "And to think I was just feeling grateful to have a friend like you. Thanks for reminding me that isn't the case."

"Aww, don't be bitter."

I released her, and unlocked my car, hopping in. Aislinn paused for a moment, clearly upset, before she climbed in after me.

"You would never know who was the twenty year old, and who was the seventeen year old," Aislinn continued on angrily. I let her grumble under her breath the entire ride to my house, knowing that she would forgive me by the time I asked her what had went down between her and Sam. _She_ had called _me_, after all.

We arrived at my house, and I walked in, Aislinn following closely behind. I headed to the kitchen, poured her a glass of water before she even had the chance to ask, and sat down across from her at the island.

"Have you forgiven me yet?"

Aislinn glared at me, glanced down at her water, then back at me. Her face softened, and she took a big swig from the glass. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Good; let's talk."

"Sam kissed me…again."

The smile immediately slipped off my face, but I tried not to look completely disappointed. So Aislinn and Sam were really happening?

'_Whatever makes her happy, whatever makes her happy_,' I chanted in my head, willing myself to actually, genuinely feel that way.

"And…how does that make you feel?"

"You sound like a therapist," Aislinn chuckled just slightly before honestly answering my question. "It made me feel great; like I was on fire, but in a good way. I really like him, and I want to make it work."

"So why are you here and not still with him?"

She winced. "This is going to sound silly."

"I won't laugh," I promised.

"I wanted to run it by you before I made my final decision. Your opinion means a lot to me, Munro."

I latched onto her words like a lifeline. I let them settle around me so they could ease the blow.

"You want my opinion, then?" Aislinn nodded. "Go for it. The two of you are mature enough to handle it, and if it's what you really want there is no reason you shouldn't pursue Sam. You'll regret it later if you don't now."

I wanted to take back my words, tell her she should realize that I was the one who would be here for her until the end, but her relived smile kept me from opening my mouth again.

"Thanks Munro. How is it that you always know what to say to me?"

I shrugged, averting my eyes so she couldn't read on my face the affect she was having on me.

"So, I have to eat dinner; I wasn't home from the movie set for ten minutes before you called. I assume you ate at Sam's, so why don't you go watch TV, and I'll take you home after I'm full."

"Sounds like a great plan. Enjoy yourself in here."

"Oh, I will."

Aislinn wandered out of the kitchen, and I quickly made myself a dinner. It didn't take me long to eat, but I still found Aislinn practically passed out on my couch when I was finally ready to take her home, an episode of House playing on the TV. Her face looked so childlike and innocent in slumber; devoid of any worry. It only made her more beautiful to me. She was all I would ever want, and everything I could never have.

Suddenly, the buzz of a cell phone took me out of my train of thought. I found Aislinn's phone sitting on the coffee table, her mom calling.

"Hi, Mrs. Paul," I answered, whispering so I wouldn't wake Aislinn.

"Munro? I thought Aislinn was with Sam."

"She was. She came over because I need to talk to her." I figured it would be harder to explain the other way around, so I switched the story up a little. "Um, but she fell asleep. I kind of don't have the heart to wake her. Do you mind if she spends the night? Thomas isn't here, so I'll just sleep in his bed."

Mrs. Paul deliberated for a few moments. "I suppose that wouldn't be a problem. I trust you, Munro. Don't do anything to change that."

"I wouldn't dream of it, ma'am."

I didn't bother to mention that I wasn't the one Aislinn wanted anyway.

"Call me in the morning, please."

"Can do," I assured her before hanging up.

I glanced at Aislinn once more, admiring her beauty before scooping her into my arms and carrying her up the stairs. I tucked her into my bed, grabbed my pajamas, and was about to head to Thomas' room, but I couldn't help glancing back at the girl in my bed one more time.

I slowly crossed the room to her, bending down to plant a kiss on her forehead, and brush her hair behind her ear. "Goodnight, Aislinn. I love you."

**-Aislinn's Point of View-**

I was asleep, of that I was sure, but I could still hear what was happening around me through my haze of consciousness. Suddenly, I felt strong arms scoop me up, cradling me against a warm body. I snuggled in closer. The heat felt nice. I felt the bobbing motion of rising stairs, and then suddenly I was surrounded by the cool silkiness of covers being tucked in around me.

Right before everything went black I felt soft lips press gently against my forehead. Then, heard a familiar voice that sounded a lot like Munro's whisper, "Goodnight, Aislinn. I love you."

But I was asleep, so I could have just been imagining things.

**This is becoming so much fun to write. I hope you're having fun reading it!**

**So, are you guys Team Sam or Team Munro. Let me know, and of what you thought about the chapter! Thanks for reading, lovelies! **


	4. Morning After

**Sorry about the long time between updates…my life gets kind of hectic around the end of the school year. I'm sure most of you understand that, if not are experiencing the same thing. Either way, I'm here to update now!**

**The response to this story thus far has been heartwarming. You're all so kind, and I thank you for reading. Keep on telling me if you're Team Sam or Team Munro. Let the war commence; ha-ha. I'm kidding. **

**Here we go: **

I was stuck in that space between sleep and consciousness, but I could tell that the room I was in was not my own. However, it was familiar; I had been in this room before. I just wasn't awake enough to know whose room it was, exactly.

I slowly registered that I should be bothered by the fact that I was not sleeping in my own room, that I couldn't exactly remember what had happened the night before just yet, but it smelled so amazing in here that I didn't want to get out of the bed yet. So I pulled the covers closer around me.

"No, Aislinn, don't go back to sleep! We have to get going; we're needed on set in a couple hours. C'mon, I made you breakfast…"

I was trying to ignore the persistent hand that was shaking me gently- that was, until food was mentioned. I quickly sat up in bed, rubbing the last bit of sleep from my eyes. I looked up to find Munro smiling down at me, looking relived that I had finally gotten up.

"Why am I in your bed?"

"You fell asleep here last night, and I really didn't have the heart to wake you up, you know? So I called your mom to let her know you'd be crashing here. I slept in Thomas' room."

Slowly, the events of the night before came flooding back to me- going over Sam's to hang out, the kiss, the talk, and seeking Munro's advise. I knew there was one last monumental thing that had happened last night, but it was clouded over by a haze of unconsciousness. Darn, that was going to bug me until I figured it out…

"You mentioned breakfast…," I prompted, trying not to dwell on the blank spot in my memory.

Munro laughed, way too peppy for this early in the morning. "Of course; I made you your favorite- French toast. And I just started brewing another pot of coffee; it should be ready in a minute."

At the mention of coffee I perked right up. "You know me so well! Thank you a million times over; there is no better way to start a day than coffee and French toast."

I shifted so I was kneeling on the bed in front of Munro, and I threw my arms around his neck, planting a big, sloppy kiss on his cheek. Munro was such a wonderful friend, and making me breakfast was way sweet of him. I would never understand what I had done to deserve someone as great as him for a best friend.

"It's really no big deal," Munro shrugged, stepping away. A blush was working its way up his neck and onto his cheeks. That was peculiar…

"Right…"

Suddenly things felt very awkward between Munro and me; like some shift in our relationship had occurred while I was asleep. The elusive tug on my memory came back, nagging at me to figure out the missing piece.

"Um, I promised your mom you would call her as soon as you were awake. I'll, uh, meet you downstairs in a few."

I nodded in response though I doubt Munro saw; he practically ran out of his room, the blush lingering on his cheeks.

I pushed his strange actions out of my mind and looked for my cell phone. Munro had apparently set it on my nightstand, so I grabbed it and dialed my home number. Not surprisingly, my mom did not answer. I usually had to wake up earlier than her to go to work, so she was never awake at the same time as me in the morning. I left a brief message for her so she would know I was awake, well, and headed to work on time.

As soon as I hung up, my phone buzzed in my hand, signaling the arrival of a new text message. It was from Sam: '_Good morning, sunshine. How are you on this fine morning?_'

I big, goofy grin slipped onto my face. Sam was so sweet, but he wasn't called to set today, so I had to wonder what he was doing awake so early.

I quickly typed a response: '_Munro made me some breakfast, so I am peachy. Why are you up so early, handsome?_'

Before he replied I made my way to the bathroom so I could freshen up. I'd have to ask Munro if we could stop by house before we went to set so I could get some clothes since I was still wearing the same outfit as yesterday.

After splashing water on my face and pulling my short, messy curls into a loose ponytail I went back to Munro's room to grab my phone. As I had expected there was a new message from Sam.

'_Drat; foiled again! I was going to see if you wanted to get breakfast, but I suppose I'll have to come up with some other cute display of affection. ;D_'

'_Can't wait to see what that'll be! I'll call you when I'm off work. =)_'

I shoved my phone in my pocket and made my way down the stairs. I sighed with delight when I got to the kitchen, the scent of vanilla extract was thick in the air and it was making my mouth water.

"I thought for sure you had gone back to sleep. I was about to come upstairs and drag you from your bed."

"You mean your bed," I reminded Munro. He looked much more like his usual, down to Earth self. The tension had disappeared from his face leaving an easy, relaxed smile on his lips. "I love your smile," I commented absently, not realizing that I probably sounded mental until after the words had left my mouth. 

I saw an intimate softness flash in Munro's eyes before he shrugged, laughing at me like the freak I was. "Eat your breakfast, dork."

"Don't mind if I do. It smells delicious."

Munro just shook his head at me, setting a plate of French toast in front of me as I sat down. He then went to the coffee pot, poured me a mug, and placed that in front of me too. I was about to ask what I had done to get this special treatment, it wasn't like I was a guest, but Munro spoke first.

"Eat quickly. I figure you want to stop by your house before set to get a change of clothes….maybe shower. We'll have to leave in a ten minutes if you want to do both."

"How do you do that?"

"Do you usually not make sense in the morning, or is it just a lack of coffee? Maybe you should drink a bit before opening your mouth again."

I blushed, glaring at him, but I grabbed the mug anyway. After I had chugged all of it I explained myself. "I was just thinking earlier that I was going to have to ask you to stop at my house. It was like you read my mind or something."

"Ah, well, as cool as that would be, I did not. You're just disappointingly predictable."

"Please, you wish you were as unpredictable as me."

Munro rolled his eyes. "Stop flapping your lips and eat, Aislinn."

He didn't need to tell me twice. As Munro got up to refill my coffee mug I shoved a heaping forkful of French toast in my mouth. I melted almost instantly.

"Shoo Gwood," I muttered around the food in my mouth.

"Cute."

I swallowed. "Munro, if we are going to continue to work together I'm going to have to ask you to stop fawning over me. It's unprofessional."

"Maybe you shouldn't have any more coffee; it's causing you to think you're funny."

"If you cut off my coffee supply, I cut you."

I was dead serious, but a surprised, amused laugh escaped Munro's lips. "Ace, you couldn't hurt a fly."

"Take away my coffee and you'll find out how false that is."

"Seriously, would you stop taking and eat already?"

Instead of responding I shoved another piece of French toast in my mouth.

It didn't take me very long to finish my breakfast, Munro's cooking was absolutely delectable, and we quickly made our way over to my house so I could shower and change.

My mom was still not awake, and I didn't want to bother her, so I quickly hopped in the shower. Munro was waiting in the car, and I didn't want to make him wait for long, so I got ready at breakneck pace. I was showered and dressed in ten minutes flat.

Thanks to Munro's manic, but careful, driving we even made it to set with five minutes to spare which, sadly enough, made Munro and I very proud of ourselves.

"Want to meet me in my dressing room to go over today's scenes after hair and makeup?"

Munro nodded, smiling down at me, and then we split ways- him to hair, me to makeup.

After an hour of being poked and prodded at, then a quick trip to wardrobe, I was in my uniform and ready to go. After I adjusted my bangs in my mirror one last time I grabbed my script and sat down at my couch. I was waiting for Munro, but the script was so intense that I didn't notice him enter my room until he dropped down next to me.

"Some pretty intense stuff going down for poor Eli and Clare, huh?"

"Yeah…I'm kind of nervous about today. There is a lot of emotion in this script…I hope I can do it justice."

"Aislinn, I don't think you realize how talented you are sometimes. I am literally amazed by you most of the time, so I really don't think you need to worry about doing the script justice. You got this."

I smiled at him. "How did I get so lucky?"

"What do you mean?"

"You always know what I need to hear, you make me breakfast, you're always there for me…I want to know how I got lucky enough to have you as a best friend."

Munro blushed a deep red, looking deep into my eyes. For a second I felt dizzy, my breath caught in my throat. "I'm the lucky one."

Before I could denounce this claim, there was a knock at my door. I turned to find Sam standing there with a huge smile on his face and coffee in his hand.

I was happy to see him, I really was, but I couldn't help but feel Déjà vu wash over me. Except, this time, instead of Munro interrupting an intimate moment between Sam and I, Sam was interrupting an intimate moment between me and Munro. Again, I felt like I had been caught doing something that I shouldn't have been. Which was silly…Munro and I were just talking.

"Delivery," Sam announced cheerily.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked, getting up to walk over to him.

"I figured since I couldn't get you breakfast, I could stop by with coffee. We both know that's the key to your heart."

I accepted the paper cup, leaning in to place a light kiss on his cheek. "Thank you; sadly, this is true."

"So, does that mean I can take you out on a proper date?"

I was acutely aware of Munro still sitting in the room, staring at his hands like he was beyond uncomfortable. I tried to push it out of my mind.

"I would love to go on a proper date with you."

Sam elated smile made my own lips twist up involuntarily, all thoughts of Munro disappearing.

**-Munro's Point of View-**

I couldn't believe that I was about to tell Ace I had feelings for her. The words had been on the tip of my tongue before Sam had entered with coffee. I was both grateful and annoyed that he had showed up earlier- grateful because without knowing it he had saved me from myself; annoyed because Aislinn and him were going on a date.

Not that I had any right to be annoyed…I had encouraged her after all.

The great thing about Eli was he was a fountain of emotion. It was always strangely relaxing to get into character when I was feeling overwhelmed because Eli let all his emotions hang out. I didn't have to find a way of coping with my own emotions because I used them to power my character. So the scenes we did were especially liberating because Eli and Clare weren't exactly in a happy place. Aislinn and I were on top of our game, and it felt great.

I was just starting to calm down when Stephen put me on break so they could film a scene between Alli and Clare.

Instead of going back to my dressing room I joined Sam on the sidelines where he had been watching Ace all day. He nodded at me as I sat next to him on a bench. A few comfortable minutes passed as I watched Aislinn and Melinda do their thing…but I mostly watched Aislinn.

Then, Sam ruined everything by talking. "So, you really like her, huh?"

"Excuse me?"

"Aislinn- you like her. I don't know why I didn't notice it before, but you get the same look on your face when you're around her that I do."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I denied lamely, my insides clenching with panic.

"Dude, it's okay. And it's not like I'm going to run and tell her. We're above that kind of thing, right? We can be civil about this. I mean, she is a great girl. I'm not surprised that you like her. You would be crazy not to."

"I…can we just not talk about this?"

Sam nodded, smiling at me like he knows exactly what's going on inside my head. I excused myself, walking to my dressing room. I feel like someone pulled a rug out from underneath me. I had gone through great pains to cover up the fact that I had feelings for Aislinn because I was sure it would be a disaster if she found out, but somehow the last person I wanted to know, Aislinn was even on the list before him, had found out.

I guess I was left with nothing to do but proceed with caution. Things certainly had the potential to get messy real soon.

XXX

I tried to avoid Aislinn as much as possible during our free time on the set for the rest of the afternoon. When lunch rolled around I ate with Melinda, but I tried to keep an eye on Aislinn and Sam.

"Distracted, much?"

"What, huh?"

"Munro, you're practically breaking your neck to watch Sam and Aislinn…who are quite obviously together. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you are jealous."

I just glared at her; what was the sense of even denying it anymore?

But as long as I wasn't denying anything that didn't mean I had to confirm it, either. Although my silence seemed to be confirmation enough because Mindy was smiling knowingly at me; I hated how people were suddenly assuming they knew what was going on in my head. Granted, they were pretty close to right, but it was still bugging me.

At the end of lunch I walked back to my dressing room, unfortunately catching the end of Sam and Aislinn's goodbye. "I'll pick you up at seven, buttercup."

"I can't wait," Aislinn practically purred, giggling like a little school girl. I had a hard time maintaining control over my gag reflex.

Aislinn and I had one last scene to shoot together, and then we were free to go. The scene was short, simple, and we got through it pretty quickly. Aislinn seemed to sense something was off with me, so she didn't joke around as much as she usually did. I felt bad about suddenly closing her out, but I didn't know how else to handle things.

When Stephen called wrap I quickly retreated to my dressing room before Ace could ask any questions. After I had changed though, I realized that I had been her ride here, and she probably needed one home; time to swallow my pride and push my fears aside.

"Need a ride home?" I asked, popping my head in her door.

I knew my voice sounded tired, weary. The invitation seemed false in my own ears. I desperately wanted her to tell me to go on ahead, that she would find a ride, so I didn't have to be alone with her. But I didn't want to leave her here, stranded and abandoned. Two desires impossible to curb at the same time.

"If it's not too much trouble," she replied hesitantly after deliberation.

"You're always trouble; has that ever stopped me before?"

"No, it hasn't. Thank God."

I smiled, relaxing ever so slightly. It was hard to remain distant when Aislinn was smiling so warmly at me. Damn, if she only knew the effect she had on me. Damn it all to hell!

"Well then let's get going; haven't you got a date to prepare for?" I tried really hard to sound supportive, but I couldn't help the hint of distaste that surrounded to word 'date'. The way Ace was wrinkling her nose told me that she had picked up on it, too. A small part of me had to wonder how she wrote off little things like that…could she really not tell how much I cared about her?

"I sure do," she asserted, flashing a blinding smile at me and grabbing my hand. My heart skipped a beat as she pulled me toward the parking lot. I couldn't help the slightest bit of disappointment that surged through me when she dropped my hand to climb into the car. I climbed into the driver's seat, and tried to keep my eyes on the road; anything to keep them off of the girl sitting next to me. As I was pulling out of the parking lot Ace let out an exasperated sigh and looked at me expectantly. "What's up with you, Mr. Mood Swing?"

"I was unaware there _was_ something wrong with me."

"Oh, come on. All afternoon you've been acting like someone told you your cat died."

"Ace, I don't have a cat, and you know it," I danced around the subject. This was not something I wanted to be talking about.

"Munro, seriously, what's wrong? You've been treating me like the pariah all afternoon."

It broke my heart to hear her so upset.

"Believe me, Ace, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just…in a funky mood."

The words were true enough that I didn't feel guilty for dancing around the truth. Aislinn deserved to know, but I didn't have the guts to tell her.

"Oh, okay."

She looked disappointed that I wasn't opening up to her. She probably wanted to help, but the problem was she really couldn't fix this one. It was all on me. She started to slip out of my car, but I didn't want her leaving where we had just left things. She deserved more than that.

I caught her arm. "Hey, have fun tonight. I love ya, freak."

A tiny, sweet smile snaked its way onto her lips. "I love you, too, crazy. I'll text you a brief date overview when I get home." With that she slipped off the seat and skipped into her house.

Why couldn't I just tell Ace the truth; that I didn't just love her…I was in love with her.

**-Aislinn's Point of View-**

It was 6:55 and I was freaking out a bit. Every time I thought about Sam my stomach lurched uncomfortably, and the butterflies in my stomach would try to fly out through my mouth. And yet, I had never been so excited in my life.

Because I had this nervous energy bouncing around inside me, I couldn't sit still for me than a few seconds. Pacing seemed to be an effective outlet.

"Would you please relax?" Jordy asked from her spot on the couch. After Munro had dropped me off I had immediately called her to help me get ready. "You and Sam are, like, perfect for each other so I don't even know why you're so nervous."

"I'm not; I'm excited."

"Well could you be excited whilst sitting next to me, you're starting to make _me_ nervous."

I obliged, plopping down next to her. "Thanks again, love. You really didn't have to come over to help me get ready."

"Yes I did; who else was going to make you look this fabulous? That dress is killer, by the way. Like, seriously, you're going to knock Sam dead."

I giggled, tugging at the hemline again so it reached just above my knees. "And you're sure you just want to hang out here till I get back?"

"Well, duh! I'm not going to let you slack on the details, missy. I expect a colorful reenactment the second I get back."

I was about to comment when there was a knock at the door. "Oh, shit. It's him. How do I look?" I asked, standing.

Jordy only winked at me, so I decided that meant I looked good. I waved at her, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

"Hey, A…" Sam stopped talking as soon as he saw me. After giving me the once over he only seemed to be able to find one word to sum up what he saw. "Wow."

I smiled, satisfied.

"You look pretty 'wow' yourself; ready to go?"

Sam shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "Oh, you are in for the night of your life, baby!"

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Sam replied, his hand closing around my own.

The butterflies knocked excitedly against my tummy as I headed off to the first date of hopefully many between Sam and me.

**So, I know this is heavy on the Munro side, but don't despair Team Sam! The next chapter is going to be their date. Are you all excited? You should be because I have a feeling Munro will be revealing his love for Aislinn mighty soon, as well. ;D**

**Thank you all for reading. You guys are amazing!**


	5. Date Times!

**How sorry am I for leaving you guys with nothing to read for weeks now? The answer- so, so sorry. School is over now, though, which means I will be able to update this story much more frequently. **

**Who is ready for a Smace date? I am! Let's get this chapter rolling: **

Sam and I walked hand in hand down the streets of Toronto, but he wouldn't tell me where he was taking me just yet. I didn't really care where we were going, though; I was just happy to be with him. We both kept stealing glances at each other, blushing when our eyes met time after time.

The silence was comfortable, familiar, but Sam soon broke it.

"You did a great job today, you know. I mean, you were always great, but every time I watch you work you seem a hundred times better. I just wish KC and Clare could have one scene together…I would love the chance to work with you again."

"You know, you already have me on a date. You really don't need to work so hard at flattery."

"Oh, but I do. Not only do you deserve all the compliments in the world, flattery is one of my many talents. It may seem like I'm just showering you with adulation, but I'm actually showing off."

"Why am I…feeling lightheaded all of a sudden? Could it be…Sam, your wit- it's sweeping me off my feet!"

"See, we're perfect for each other. So much sarcasm can only be healthy for a relationship."

"Is that your way of asking me to go steady? Are you going to pin me now?"

"Ace…shut up." Sam smiled down at me, and I couldn't help but laugh. I was feeling so light, weightless. I hoped the feeling would last forever. "But, in all seriousness, I really do want KC to apologize to Clare…the way he left her? It was a major jerk move. I've never been able to forgive my alter ego for that."

"You sound like you have split personality disorder right now," I pointed out fondly before growing serious myself. "I do miss working with you, too. It was fun then, but now that we're closer, it would just be so awesome to give it another go. The chemistry would be off the wall."

"And you know this from experience, right?" Sam asked, stopping to wink at me. He leaned in, and I stopped breathing in anticipation. His lips hovered just above mine. "We're here," Sam whispered, leaning in just a fraction of a millimeter more before jolting upright and grabbing hold of my hand so he could pull me into the building we were in front of. Obviously, the fake out had all been part of his plan, but I was left feeling a little dizzy.

"You are so going to pay for that," I warned him, the hitch in my voice taking away from the desired effect.

"I sure hope so."

I smacked him with my free hand, and then looked around the small room Sam had just led me into. It was dimply lit, and there were just a few couples enjoying a private dinner around the dining area. It just screamed fancy…I'd have to thank Jordy later for the dress; she had done good.

"Reservations for Earle," Sam told the hostess, looking down to smile proudly at me. As soon as we were seated I raised my eyebrows at him. "What?"

"I know this is our first date and all, but low key would have been fine, too."

"Only the best for you, Aislinn. Not to mention, you'll have a chance to let your hair down, go wild, whatever it is that you do, later. This restaurant is only stop numero uno. Besides, I picked the more exclusive restaurant because I wasn't sure how public you wanted to go with this relationship. For now, anyway…"

I smiled at him. He was so sweet for so many reasons- for planning this elaborate night, for being so aware of my wants, my feelings, and for just being the big goofball that I adored.

"You're wonderful, you know that, right?"

"Ace, you already have me on a date, you don't need to work so hard at flattery," Sam joked, repeating my earlier sentiment.

I stuck my tongue out at him, but couldn't hold back my urge to laugh at his serious expression. The date had barely started and I was already having a blast. I would have to remember to thank Munro later for talking me into this; I definitely would have regretted the decision to turn Sam away.

I turned my attention to the menu, cringing at the prices. Everything sounded delicious, but I was afraid of ordering it all. Just as I was browsing the pastas, I came up with a corny, romantic idea that would also save Sam from spending too much…I would have to be crafty in presenting it, though. I didn't want to insult his manhood, or whatever.

"Do you know what my favorite Disney movie is?"

Sam looked up at me in confusion. "Is this a trap….because I don't think I do."

"No, it's not a trap, silly. It's totally relevant….Lady and the Tramp."

Okay, so that wasn't entirely true, but I did like that move. Sam would never have to catch on.

"Subtle, Ace."

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked innocently as our waitress arrived.

"What can I get for you two tonight?"

Sam spoke up before I had the chance. "We'll have the spaghetti and meatballs- just one order for two."

She diligently scribbled something in her notepad before walking away. "Okay, so subtle isn't my best attribute. Tell me something I don't know."

"On average, in one lifetime, a person will walk as much as five times around the equator."

"Funny…but I think I already knew that."

"Well aren't we Miss Smarty Pants?"

"I'm not wearing pants."

"Zing! Just keep this coming. I love how you're able to keep up with my crazy banter. Most people get annoyed after a few snide remarks."

"I don't think I could ever get annoyed with you," I told him honestly. He smiled sweetly at me, and I couldn't help the way my pulse quickened when he looked at me like that. He really was handsome.

The food arrived then, breaking our moment. We both dug in, not get much of a chance for more conversation because the food was absolutely delicious. There was obviously a reason it was so pricy; they must have sprinkled fairy dust in it. There was just something special about the meal. Of course, that could have had something to do with the dear friend who was sitting across the table from me.

All in all, it was the best meal I had ever had.

"I am beyond full," I declared finally, leaning back in my seat and placing my hands on my belly.

"Good. I like my victims well fed."

"What are you planning to do with me, Mr. Earle?"

"Take you dancing."

I paused for a moment, unsure if he was serious, but the wink he threw in told me that he was completely serious.

"Really? That's amazing! I love to dance!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah Ace, I know that. Hence why I'm taking you dancing."

I giggled. This was perfect; he was perfect. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Hold your horses, Chita Rivera. I need to pay before we leave. I'm all for having fun, and dine and dash has a nice ring to it, but it's not my style."

I dropped back down into my seat. In my excitement I had already shot up, and was ready to leave; I had forgotten about the bill.

Sam quickly slipped some bills into the folder, and grabbed my hand to lead me out the door. The walk to Club Bounce, where Sam had announced he was taking me, was a short one. It was the only club in the area that you didn't have to be 18 to get into. I skipped almost the entire way there, and, thankfully, Sam joined. We probably looked like foolish little kids, but we were having the time of our lives.

When we got there we slipped into the short line for entry, and gave Sam a swift kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for planning the most amazing first date."

He looked down at me, his eyes shining. "You're more than welcome, Ace."

I mentally marked everything about that moment, not wanting to forget a thing. At that time, everything felt absolutely perfect.

**-Sam's Point of View- **

Stunning. Gorgeous. Breathtaking. Beautiful. Amazing.

And that was just the way she was making _me _feel. That was nothing compared to the way she looked, so totally carefree on the dance floor. She was wildly jumping around, swinging me every which way, and I had never felt less in control- or more happy.

Her buoyant mood was making me forget all about the awkward moment earlier with Munro. I would be a complete liar if I denied the fact that learning he had feelings for Aislinn scared me. Everyone saw their natural chemistry on and off set, and I was more than a little worried that Ace would soon catch on, and leave me for him. Insecure? Yes. Probable? Also yes.

Not to mention Munro and I were close buddies. How would this affect our friendship? I sincerely hoped that it wouldn't, but who knew. Darn, there I went- thinking about it again.

Just as I was vowing to myself that I would put all thoughts of Munro out of my mind a slow song came on, and Aislinn pulled me close.

Her arms wound their way around my neck, and I let my arms snake around her waist. Complete and utter bliss enveloped me. She looked amazing with her hair matted in some places, and sticking out crazily in others. A light sheen of sweat from all the energy she was exerting only made her shining blue eyes sparkle even more. It was like she was being lit up from within- especially when the rave lights hit her just so…

"Are you feeling alright?" Aislinn questioned, leaning up to yell in my ear over the loud music.

"Of course," I yelled back. "Why do you ask?"

"You seemed distracted. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I was distracted. You look absolutely gorgeous right now, you know that?"

"I guess you were right…flattery is one of your special talents."

I laughed, relived that she had bought my half-truth, and pulled her closer to me so absolutely nothing could come between us. I felt bad about not being about to tell her everything that was going through my mind, but it wasn't really my place to say anything. "Are you ready to go to the last stop for the night?" I whispered in her ear, enjoying it as her coconut aroma got stronger as I got closer.

Ace shivered and nodded in response, so I let my hand drift from around her waist down to grab her hand. We walked out of the club and into the fresh air of the Toronto streets. I took a deep breath, savoring that I was in the moment with Aislinn. She was just so…magnetic. I couldn't help but want to be around her.

"So," Aislinn spoke up as I led her down the block, "what exactly is stop number three?"

"Ice cream cones and a walk around the park."

"You clearly know how to woo a lady. Too bad your character was never this smooth."

"Ouch, you just wounded the KC section of my heart. How does that make you feel?"

"The Clare in me is feeling very gratified, thank you very much."

I smiled down at her. "Fair enough; Clare does deserve the chance to stick it to KC."

We let the conversation die down as we approached an ice cream cart. We both ordered twist cones, and set off down a bike path in the park. Not much was said as we both enjoyed the ice cream, walking hand in hand through the dark woods.

Eventually, the ice cream was gone, and our feet got tired, so we settled in on a bench, Aislinn tucked closely under my arm. "Thank you for agreeing to this. I know you didn't want to jeopardize our careers by doing something unprofessional, but this was easily one of the best nights of my life."

"Mine too. I feel silly for ever being so worried. We work well together, you know? I will forever be grateful to Munro."

I stiffened just slightly, confused by her comment. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was so confused, and I really wasn't sure what I was going to do about us. Munro was the one who convinced me that I would regret it later if I didn't go for it now."

I felt moment of respect for Munro, and gratitude swelled up in my chest. The poor guy was probably getting all the details about mine and Ace's relationship, and he was still encouraging her to go for it. That couldn't have been easy. I supposed I owed him a thank you.

"Munro is a great friend."

"He really is," she agreed fondly. "So are you, though."

"Can I tell you something, Aislinn?"

"What?"

I turned her face up so I could stare into her eyes. "I think I might love you. I know that may seem sudden, this being our first date and all, but it's been a long time coming. I've never known anyone else like you…you amaze me."

Her eyes grew wide, and a smile curled her beautiful lips upward. "I think I might possibly love you, too- sometimes."

I laughed, reveling in her ability to match my humor even in the most serious of moments. "I'm going to kiss you now."

And I did.

And it was perfect.

**-Munro's Point of View-**

I sat at home as I miserably thought about all the fun Aislinn and Sam were probably having. On their date. Together.

Thomas was out on a date of his own, and I couldn't get a hold of Justin leaving me completely and utterly alone to wallow in my self-pity. Self induced self-pity, let's not forget.

I could say it to her when she was asleep, but I couldn't get up the courage to tell Ace in person that I loved her. And not like one friend loves another friend. Then there was the whole issue of me not wanting to ruin our friendship because I was almost positive that she did not feel the same way…I was in need of some serious advice.

Since the two people I usually went to for lady advice were either busy or MIA, I decided to call the next best thing.

I dialed Ray's familiar number, and crossed my fingers, needing for him to answer.

"Munro, my man! What is up?"

"Ray, Ray! Hey…what are you up to?"

"I'm taking the girlfriend on a double date with Charlotte and her boo. What's up with you?"

I deflated just a little. "Oh, I'm just sitting at home doing nothing. I'll let you go, though. Have fun."

"Dude, you sound seriously blue. I have a few minutes. Feel free to pour your heart out."

"I owe you one, but you're right. I seriously need your advice."

"Let me guess- it's about a female. One specifically…fan girls got you down? No, I'm kidding. It's Aislinn, if I had to guess."

"Am I really that freaking obvious? And how come she hasn't figured it out if that's the case?"

"Self-fulfilling prophecy?"

"Ouch; that hurts."

"Munro, you can't expect her to read your mind. You have to tell her about your feelings if you want something to come of it."

"It's not just black and white, though. She's…otherwise involved."

"With Sam, right?"

"Damn, news travels fast within the cast, doesn't it?"

"Dude, Melinda knows…or thinks she know, or whatever. Need I say more?"

I chuckled. Mindy did tend to have a hard time keeping secrets, well, secret. "No, you don't. Just help me, please."

"Okay, I can tell you are all ready to give up on Aislinn because you think you've already lost. But the point is, you can't lose if you never play the game. If you tell her at least you won't be plagued with 'what if' questions later on, you know?"

I did know, and Ray had a fantastic point. "You are so right, my brilliant friend. We're not shooting tomorrow…I can invite her to hang out, and I'll tell her then!"

"That's my boy. Good luck. I really have to go now, though. Twas nice chatting with you."

"Have a nice date," I told him before hanging up.

I already felt a hundred times better.

**-Aislinn's Point of View-**

Sam dropped me off at my door, giving me one last quick peck on the lips before wishing me a goodnight and disappearing into the darkness. I sighed, leaning against my front door so I could have a moment to regain my composure. Best first date ever…

All of a sudden the door opened to reveal a beaming Jordy. "I know you are not going to sit out here all night and neglect giving me the juicy details."

I giggled, hoping this buoyant mood would last forever. Between recapping the entire night to Jordan and riding this post-date buzz…well, I wasn't going to get any sleep, that was for sure.

But I didn't mind. Not one bit.

**Who is anticipating Aislinn's reaction to Munro's confession? How will that affect Sam and Munro's friendship? How will it affect Sam and Aislinn's new relationship? **

**You shall find all that out in the next chapter, my friends! Until then, I would love to know how you felt about this one. How many of you have been converted to Team Sam? **

**I am having way too much fun with this! **

**Anyway, thank you all for reading. I adore you all! =) **


	6. Confession

**Better prepare yourselves, my lovely readers. This chapter is about to be I-N-T-E-N-S-E! **

**It would be pretty cool to own Degrassi…but I don't. **

**Enjoy:**

My phone beeped for the tenth time, and I groaned. It was eleven a.m., but Jordan and I hadn't gone to bed till 3:30, so I was feeling pretty groggy.

"Why don't you just turn it off," Jordy mumbled into her pillow.

"What if it's important…I just don't have the energy to get up and check."

"If it's important now, it'll still be important in another couple of hours."

"Wise words, my friend."

"The only kind I speak," Jordy agreed, rolling over to smile at me. "Damn it, now I'm awake."

I laughed, sitting up. "It's funny how that happens, huh?"

I attempted to rub the sleep from my eyes, but they still felt raw; today was going to be difficult, I could feel it. I was already kind of cranky…I needed some coffee.

"So who interrupted our sleep anyway?"

I reached for my phone- I had one new text from Sam telling me, again, what a great time he had. I smiled. The other three texts and five missed calls were from Munro.

"I wonder why he's so desperate to get a hold of me," I mumbled under my breath to myself. Every single text was a slight variation of him requesting that I call him. Like I couldn't figure that out from the missed calls, dummy. Louder, to Jordan, I said, "Munro and Sam…but mostly Munro."

"I smell a love triangle a-brewing."

"Don't even joke like that; Munro's like an older brother to me."

I blushed, and my heart skipped a beat…the same way I usually reacted when I was telling a lie. Which was silly because Munro and I _were_ like brother and sister- despite our crazy chemistry on set. Ugh, clearly my lack of sleep was doing weird things to my brain.

Jordan waggled her eyebrows at me, shooting me a knowing look. I threw my pillow at her face.

"Someone's crabby this morning."

"I need coffee, STAT. Want to go make some breakfast?"

"If by 'make breakfast' you mean pour myself a bowl of cereal I am so in."

"You're such a cheap date."

"Sam will be so upset to hear that you're cheating on him."

"Hey, you will always be my number one. If Sam can't deal with that then we are going to have some serious problems." I winked at Jordy and she threw the pillow back at me.

"So…coffee."

I immediately jumped to my feet. "You just said the magic word; right this way!"

My phone, Munro and Sam momentarily forgotten, Jordy and I made our way to the kitchen. I grabbed us both a bowl, and as she poured a generous amount of cereal into each as I put some coffee on for brew.

"So, let's revisit some details from that date of yours."

I turned to find Jordy eyeing my curiously. "What details, exactly?"

"You love Sam, huh?"

I mentally cringed, remembering the look Jordy had given me much earlier this morning when I had skimmed over that detail of the date. I should have known she was going to bring it up again. She knew me well enough to see that it was the part of the date that I wanted to talked about the least, but needed to the most.

"I…think so?"

"I hope you were more convincing when you were declaring your feelings to him; poor Sam."

"So, maybe I regret saying it, just a little. I mean, in the moment I felt it. I do love Sam. I'm just not sure it's the same love he was talking about. Oh, God, Jordy; am I a horrible person?"

"Horribly misguided? Yes. Horrible in general? Never."

I sighed. "So do I…retract what I said?"

"Not necessarily. But you probably should have a nice, long talk with Sam about the direction this is headed…blah, blah, blah."

"I feel like we've already had so many of those talks. Oh, well. I do like him…a lot. He's worth it."

Jordan nodded, clearly pleased with the sincerity in my voice. I really did like Sam; I wasn't leading him on. This was just all kinds of complicated.

But nobody said relationships were easy, right?

**-Sam's Point of View- **

Despite the early time I had to rise after going to bed so late I was on Cloud 9 by the time I was on set. Seriously, I felt like rainbows were coming out of my ears!

"When are you going to give up the cloak and dagger act, and tell me who the hell is making you so happy?" Jessica asked me again on our lunch break.

She had been harassing me every chance she had; somehow guessing the second she had seen my face that some girl was involved. Well, not just some girl- _the_ girl. Or maybe I was getting ahead of myself. I tended to be a little too intense for some people…

"Maybe if you guess right, I'll tell you if you're right. But you only have three tries, missy."

Jessica smiled like she had already weaseled the information out of me. I rolled my eyes at her; there was no way she was going to get this.

"Just tell me one thing, is it someone I know? Because if it's not this little game of yours isn't really fair."

"Well, my friend, I suppose you'll just have to guess and see for yourself."

"So I do know her!" Jess exclaimed excitedly.

"I didn't say that, crazy. Just guess someone."

"It's Aislinn."

I choked on the apple juice I had just taken a sip of. "How the hell did you do that?" I asked, befuddled.

Jess laughed. "Mindy saw you two having lunch yesterday. Remember, word spreads like wildfire in this cast."

"No kidding. Wait; does Stephen know? And is he angry if he does? This does not bode well…"

"Calm down, silly. I don't think Stephen knows…but you might want to tell him yourself before he hears it through the grapevine."

"I will….just not today."

"Chicken," Jessica challenged.

"It's not that…I just want Ace and I to get out footing before we make any kind of public declaration, you know?"

"Oh, you loooovvveeee her," she sang, winking at me.

"Yeah, I really think that I do."

**-Aislinn's Point of View-**

"Are you going to get that; it's driving me crazy?"

I looked up from my e-mail at Jordy. "What are you talking about?"

"Your phone," her tone suggested that I was mentally unstable. "It's been vibrating for the past five minutes straight, and you somehow have been able to ignore it just as long. But I can't take it anymore!"

"Oh, sorry, I was reading the script changes that Stephen e-mailed to me for tomorrow. I was kinda absorbed."

"You're telling me."

Jordy picked my phone off of my bed, and tossed it to me where I was sitting at my desk. I caught it just in time for it to start ringing again.

"Someone's mighty anxious to get a hold of me," I said as soon as I flipped my phone open.

"Finally," Munro's voice rang out on the other end. "I was about to drive over to your house to make sure you were still alive. Did I piss you off, or something; I've been calling you all morning?"

"Sorry, Jordy is over…don't you know it's rude to talk on the phone while you have company?"

I saw Jordy roll her eyes at me, but I saw her smile fondly before I turned my attention back to Munro.

"You couldn't have, like, told me that? I was freaking out over here."

"You don't say? Is that why you called at least 50 times in the last three hours?"

"You're not funny."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Fine…you're funny. I need to talk to you."

"I had kind of inferred as much."

"Like, in person."

"Oh, well, okay then. I'll call you after Jordy leaves, okay?"

I heard a sigh leave his lips, but it didn't sound impatient…more like nervous. It was just a tiny action, probably something someone who didn't know Munro well wouldn't have even picked up on, but it immediately made me concerned. "Yeah, that's fine. But it's, um, kind of important, Ace."

"Okay. I'll kick her out as soon as possible." Jordy looked up at me, obviously having been listening to the conversation. Not that I minded, I would have done the same to her. "Meet you in the park in 20?" I suggested.

"Yeah, that's awesome. Thanks…for, um, meeting me. Tell Jordy I said hi."

"Will do," I assured him absentmindedly. There was something really eating away at him; I could tell. Munro wasn't ever this awkward unless something heavy was weighing on his mind. I hoped like hell nothing was wrong with him, or Thomas…or anyone for that matter.

I hung up the phone, and Jordan was still waiting expectantly to hear what was going on. "How's Munro?"

"I'm not really sure, actually. He says hi, though."

"Uh, oh; I smell trouble. The park is on the way to my house- are you going to walk me home?"

"But of course…I'm going to shower really quickly, though. I don't want to expose Toronto to my mega stink."

Jordy laughed at me, rolling her eyes. "I'll be here when you're done."

I stuck my tongue out at her sarcasm, and then hopped into the shower, all my thoughts focused on Munro. I was tired, cranky, and wary of whatever he had to say. All I wanted to do was stay inside with Jordy all day, do some homework, and possibly snuggle up with a blanket and a movie. But Munro was one of my best friends, so I would meet him regardless. I just wouldn't be extremely happy about it…

I got out of the shower; towel dried my hair, and quickly dressed in a pair of sweats and my favorite tee shirt. I took a quick look in the mirror and decided not to bother with makeup. '_Glamorous_,' I thought, taking in my entire reflection.

Oh well, it wasn't like it matter what I looked like. Munro's news probably did not require me to dress up.

**-Munro's Point of View-**

"I'm heading out. I'll see you…when I get back."

"Wow, that was profound," Thomas mocked me. "You're awful fidgety."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. There was no reason for me to be this nervous; I was only going to meet Aislinn. To profess feelings that I had been hiding for a while now. And there was the complete possibility that she might shut me down. And I could ruin our friendship. Yeah, no reason to be nervous at all.

"Bro, you need to take a deep breath…or five."

I took Thomas' advice, sucking in as much air as my lungs would hold. "Yeah, well, bye."

"Got get her, man."

I rolled my eyes. I hadn't told Thomas of feelings for Ace exactly- he just kind of knew. So when I had told him earlier who I was so desperately trying to get in touch with he had only smiled at me and wished me luck. It was a simple sentiment, but it was nice to know that I would always have at least one person on my side, rooting for me no matter what.

The walk to the park was short and refreshing; the cool, spring air doing wonders for my muddled thoughts. I had never been this nervous or excited before in my life: not for an audition, or any time I got on a Trampoline for a competition, or my first kiss. It was a strange kind of high that was so strong my stomach literally ached in anticipation.

I almost turned around once to go back home, but I remembered Aislinn was probably already on her way. There was no going back; I had to put this piece of news out there- I had to.

Aislinn was more than worth it.

I stopped at the park's entrance, doing a quick sweep with my eyes to see if Aislinn was there yet, but I didn't see her, so I sat on the curb and reminded myself to breathe.

I was about to pull my phone out to call her and see if she was at all close when I spotted her headed directly for me.

She was wearing a bright purple, form-fitting tee shirt, baggy gray sweats, and her hair was stuck in a state of disarray- half of it curling unruly, and the other half relatively straight. The soft sun was catching the auburn highlights in her hair, and her eyes were focused on me; tired and droopy, but still the bright blue that I loved.

Damn, as cliché as it was, all I could think as she walked toward me was that she had to be the prettiest thing I had ever seen, even when she wasn't trying.

My stomach suddenly clenched nervously, and I was sure I was going to hurl. That was, until a smile lit up Aislinn's face, making her so beautiful it literally broke my heart.

'_Here goes nothing…_'

**-Aislinn's Point of View- **

I smiled tentatively at Munro as I approached; taking note of the nauseous look on his face and I let several worst-case scenarios run through my head. But, as soon as I gave him the small smile, his lips turned up into the goofiest grin I had ever seen. What in the world was going on?

"Hey, Ace," was Munro's anticlimactic greeting as soon as I was within ear shot.

"You know you had trembling with anxiety at the urgent nature of news. Why did you need to talk to me so badly?"

Munro swallowed, suddenly looking a little green. But, just before the green undertones appeared, I hadn't missed the look of surprise and hurt as he registered my curt tone.

"Hey, sorry, I'm running on only a few hours of sleep. I didn't mean to snap at you. Let's sit down." I eagerly led him to one of the benches. I couldn't help think that less than twelve hours ago I had been sitting on a similar bench with Sam professing my kind-of love for him. The thought made me dizzy. My life was a little too complicated for my liking. "You and Thomas are okay, right; nobody is hurt or dying?"

I don't know what I was expecting Munro to do or say, but laughing was the furthest thing from my mind. Except, there he was…cracking up like I had just told the funniest joke ever; he had some serious explaining to do.

"You thought…really…ha!...that's classic Aislinn, I guess."

"You have about five seconds to tell me what the hell is so funny before I storm off angrily."

"Wow, you really didn't sleep a lot last night did you? How was the, um, date?"

He shifted uncomfortably on the word date, and I noticed. Pieces of a puzzle I was suddenly sure I didn't want to complete were falling into place, ready or not.

"Decent…alright, I'm not going to lie; it was probably the best date ever. I'm just a little…confused. Sam and I really need to talk about 'us'."

"That's great!"

Munro's hand suddenly came up to smack over his mouth- like he was trying to push his words back in.

"It is?"

"No, but…I mean, God I was hoping to lead up to this a little more; be a little more graceful. I really need to tell you something, though, Aislinn."

I suddenly felt as nervous as Munro looked; more nervous if that was even possible. "So, tell me."

Again, my words came out angrier than I wanted them to, and Munro flinched. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath the steady himself.

When he opened his eyes he deliberately met, and held, my gaze. There was so much emotion in the green depths that I wanted nothing more than to look away, but I just couldn't for the exact same reason. I was mesmerized.

"Ace, you're my best girl friend. I tell you everything, and I trust you with my life. But there's been something I haven't been telling you." Munro gently took my hand from where it was lying limp in my lap, and clasped it between his two larger hands. My stomach rolled uncomfortably. "I…I love you, Aislinn."

His words hit me like a truck. So many different emotions flooded my mind at the same time: confusion, relief, surprise, affection… joy…then, finally, anger. White hot anger that made me quiver. I wished, just for a moment, that I could play dumb, pretend his words didn't mean what they did; that he was telling me he loved me as a friend like we always did. But there was no way to deny the sincerity and genuineness of his emotion. It was all laid out, plain for me to see, in his eyes.

I ripped my hand out from between his. "You can't," I challenged viciously.

Despair washed over Munro's innocent features. "What do you mean?"

"You can't love me, Munro because I…I don't feel the same way."

He started to say something else, but I could stay, couldn't hear him plead or submit. I had to get away as soon as possible, so I stood up and started sprinting.

XXX

I sprinted all the way to my house and up the stairs to my bedroom. My mom, having heard my entrance, immediately came to see if I was okay, but I locked my door, and started to pace my floor, shouting at her to leave me alone.

I was a liar and a horrible person. But mostly a liar.

I did have feelings for Munro. Intense feelings that weren't the kind of feelings one friend felt for another. But, unlike Sam, Munro and I worked together _every _day. If something went wrong it wouldn't be as avoidable as if something happened with Sam. Unlike Sam, Munro was much older than I was. He was probably more experienced, and I didn't know how to handle that. Unlike Sam, I couldn't risk everything with Munro because it would kill me if things ended in a mess.

I collapsed on my bed, letting the tears flow freely. Who was I kidding? Things already were a mess.

Why couldn't we save all the drama for on-screen?

I sighed and grabbed a tissue from my bedside table. As I dabbed my eyes, I contemplated my next move.

After putting my pride to rest, I decided I really owed Munro an apology for blowing up on him. It was unwarranted, and he was my friend. He deserved to know the truth, and I needed to grovel for forgiveness.

So, I snuck out of my house, trying to avoid the questions my mother undoubtedly had for me, and headed for Munro's house.

I stopped at his front door, taking several deep breaths to calm myself. Every time I had talked to Sam I had taken careful measure to think about what I wanted to say. With Munro I was winging it. It made me nervous as hell.

I gathered every last bit of strength I had left, and knocked. Thomas answered.

"What are _you_ doing here?" the accusation in his voice was clear.

"I really, really need to talk to Munro…I screwed up."

"I don't really think Munro's in a talking mood right now. In fact, he locked himself in his room, and I can't get him to come out."

"Please Thomas; I need to at least try."

"For his sake or for yours?"

I thought about his question only for a moment before answering, "Both."

He stood there glaring at me, taking note of my red, puffy eyes and tear stained face. "You have ten minutes, got it?"

I flung myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck. "You're the best, you know that? I owe you big time."

"You both do," I heard Thomas mutter under his breath as I raced up the stairs.

**-Munro's Point of View-**

I royally screwed up. Like, I had never, ever felt like such an idiot.

I was staring at my ceiling, expecting it to tell me how to mend the shatters of mine and Aislinn's friendship, not to mention my heart, when there was a soft knock at my door.

"Thomas, I've told you at least a million times that I don't want to talk right now."

"How do you feel about listening?"

I sat up as soon as I heard Aislinn's voice ring out on the other end of the door. She sounded out of breath, and her voice had a tiny hitch in it that told me she had been crying. But she didn't sound angry anymore. I tried to keep my hope at bay, but it was hard.

"I honestly don't know how I feel right now, exactly," I answered cautiously, getting up and waking to the door. I placed my hand over the knob, but didn't open it just then.

"Munro, I am beyond sorry. I told you before that I'm only running on a few hours of sleep, but that's not really an excuse. I really don't have a good reason for yelling at you like I did…except that your confession frightened me. Terrified me, actually. Because, if I'm being honest with myself, I love you, too. And there are just a million ways this could screw everything up. Sam is safe because, although I like him, I'll never feel the way about him that I do about you"

She stopped and I heard her breath catch in her throat as I flung my door open, getting a good look at her face. "You really mean it…you feel the same way?"

She met my gaze, her blue eyes incredibly clear. "Yes, I really do. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm with Sam right now. He and I really need to talk."

I didn't hear anything she said after 'yes'. There was just too much joy in my brain to allow for any other kind of information to be processed.

She was staring at me like a dog just waiting to be kicked, but all I could do was smile and laugh. "I forgive you, Aislinn. I forgive you anything and everything. I can't help it."

"I know; I really should have figured this out sooner, huh?" She smiled at me then, small and sad, but she was gorgeous, and I simply had to know what it felt like…

I leaned in quickly, my lips seizing hers in a hungry attack. She gasped, surprised, before responding.

I couldn't believe this was happening…I was kissing Aislinn, and she was kissing me back, and I had never been happier.

**-Aislinn's Point of View- **

I was dizzy. Everything had happened so fast. And now the impossible was being done…

Munro was kissing me. Not Eli kissing Clare; Munro was kissing me. And it could not have been more different.

But it was the best kind of different.

All my thoughts of Sam fell away as I kissed Munro back, matching his urgency.

And the world faded away.

**Sorry for the amount of cheese at the end. Something tells me most you won't mind too much, though. **

**Believe it or not, this is not the last chapter. I still have a couple more before this comes to a close, but the end is near. **

**Thank you so much for reading. You're all amazing! **


	7. Broken Hearts

**I was going to go by my usual pattern, and update Come What May before this story, but I just couldn't get the words to shut up. Does that happen to anyone else: you just keep having these snippets of scenes or sentences run through your head until you sit down and write them? Clearly this story would not be silenced. **

**So, this is the second to last chapter of It Had to Be You. Enjoy, my friends: **

I didn't want to, but I had to pull away for air. There was no way my lips could stay attached to Munro's a second longer without permanent brain damage being done from lack of oxygen.

So, with a mutual reluctance, we pulled apart. But Munro wouldn't let me get too far away. His arms, which had diligently wrapped around my waist, tightened the second our lips separated and his forehead rested against mine. His warm breath fanned across my face, our erratic intakes completely in sync.

I couldn't believe that had just happened…I had to tell Jordy.

"Shit," I muttered suddenly, breaking myself free of Munro's death grip. For some reason the thought of Jordy had immediately lead me to our conversation about Sam earlier…and the guilt automatically set in, making my stomach churn and leaving a metallic taste in my mouth; immediately tainting the lingering sensations of Munro's lips moving against mine.

"Not exactly the reaction I was expecting, but I'll ignore it because that was basically everything I had ever hoped it would be."

"This isn't funny," I shot back, my efforts to mask the panic in my voice completely in vain- it was there, plain as day.

"Whoa, Ace, take a deep breath…please."

I really tried to do as Munro asked, but I couldn't draw in enough air for a deep breath. It was disorienting how one minute everything could be pure bliss, and then turn to utter crap the next.

"I have to go, like, now."

"No, wait!" Munro cried immediately, clasping his hand around my wrist. "If you leave now, Aislinn, you're going to regret what just happened. You are going to second guess everything you have said and done this afternoon, and then I'll be right back to square one. I can't let that happen. We need to talk about this together."

I met his eyes, absorbing all the innocent hope there…how in the world was I supposed to turn away from such a gorgeous, truthful face?

Answer: I wasn't; I couldn't.

"Okay," I relented softly, "let's talk."

Munro sighed in relief, and quickly led me into his room. He crawled up on the bed, and settled himself in, sitting cross-legged. I reluctantly followed suit, sitting across from him.

"How long?" I muttered after a moment of silence. The words came unbidden, but I was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to know

"How long, what?"

I let a small, strangled giggle escape my lips at the sheer joy in his voice. I had never seen Munro so happy. "How long have you liked me, dummy?"

"Since our very first read through together, honestly. I hadn't really seen much of you since Murder in the Hamptons…but let me tell you, time had been kind to you. And then, of course, I noticed you had only grown more talented. We started growing closer personally…and before I knew it I had fallen."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"At first I really didn't want to mess up our friendship- I mean, I still don't- but the feelings got harder and harder to ignore. They just refused to be silenced. But then I walked in on you and Sam kissing, and even before that I had noticed the way you two were dancing around each other, and something inside me snapped. It was like as soon as the thought of you being with someone else became a reality I realized there was no way I could go my entire life without you knowing how I felt because you would definitely end up with Sam or someone like him. But I was still kind of a chicken. So I got some great advice, and the rest is history. Does that answer your question?"

Halfway through his speech, Munro had taken my hand in his. He finished talking with an adorable giggle, but I was too astonished to answer his question yet.

I cleared my throat and looked him squarely in the eyes. "I'm not as great as you're making me out to be. I'm a cheat and a bitch…I mean, look at the way I snapped at you earlier."

"Aislinn," the way he said my name with such reverence made me need to close my eyes. The way he was staring at me was burning a hole right through my heart. "I understand you have unfinished business with Sam. I'm not asking you to run off and dump him…that kiss was selfish of me. It's just that, when you told me you felt the same way, I couldn't help myself. I've been waiting to do that for the longest time."

"Stop it," I softly demanded, gently removing my hand from his and getting off the bed.

"Stop…what?"

"Stop being so nice and understanding. Everything you're saying…it's just too good to be true. I just need time; I need to sleep on things. I can't promise I won't come to regret what just happened, Munro, but I really need some time to myself. This is all just happening so fast."

The words were coming out in a panicked rush as the full extent of my guilt and confusion became clear in my voice. 

Munro hopped off the bed and crossed to me. "Take all the time you need," he assured me sincerely, before wrapping me in the sweetest hug I had ever received. He was just so gentle, and, despite myself, I melted into his chest. After a tiny kiss to my forehead, Munro released me, and I gave him a sad smile before leaving the room. I rushed out of the house without even saying goodbye to Thomas.

I needed to take a walk…let my mind clear. I found myself heading directly for the park.

I immediately regretted my choice when the entrance instantly reminded me of Munro's earlier confession, and then, shortly after, of mine and Sam's date.

Two of the greatest guys in the world with strong feelings for me…what the hell made me so special that I deserved to have both of them to choose from, I wanted to know?

The thought was quickly followed by the realization that I was going to have to hurt one of them…maybe both. Why me?

I conjured a picture of both of them in my head- Sam's sarcastic, knowing smile and the playful gleam in his eye; Munro's innocence etched into every detail of his face including the famous lopsided smile.

They were so different, but so equally amazing.

I let my mind wander over the details of my date with Sam as I walked along the dark pathway. I remembered the way he had made me feel like the single, most special girl in the room. I recalled the way he had planned the most perfect date, the way he made my heart race, and kiss that still gave me Goosebumps. Sam's quick wit and sharp tongue never failed to make me laugh. Sam was one of my very best friends.

But then there was Munro. Thinking about him made me flush and my breath hitch. I hadn't noticed it, but I had been slowly falling in love with Munro since our first read through as Eli and Clare- the same time Munro claimed to have started the fall as well. Chemistry like ours just couldn't be faked, as it would seem.

And, God, how had I ever been so blind; so oblivious? Thinking back on just the last few days I could pick out several moments where I should have noticed what had been slowly happening.

Munro's disappointment and embarrassment when he walked in on Sam's and my first kiss, his push for a confirmation of whether I liked Sam or not, the sadness in his face when I had come to him for advice on making things official with Sam, the way he made me my favorite breakfast for me, the way he had blushed after I had kissed him on the cheek, the intimate moment we had shared in my dressing room before Sam had interrupted, and so much more.

Seriously, when I had I gotten so obtuse?

Then, suddenly, an epiphany hit me like a ton of bricks:

The night I had stayed over Munro's because I had fallen asleep I knew something monumental had happened, but I couldn't remember it in the morning. But it all came rushing back to me as I let my mind pick up on the details of Munro's and my relationship that I had ignored before.

Munro had told me he loved me…and then he had given me a tender kiss on my forehead. He had tried to tell me before, but I hadn't listened.

A tear leaked out my closed eyes, and I had stopped dead in my tracks. I was feeling overcome with emotions I didn't know how to handle. But, even so, a small smile curved my lips in the upward direction.

And I knew I had an answer to what I was going to do with my problems.

**-Munro's Point of View-**

The morning after everything had happed with Aislinn we were both called early to set. I was still reeling from the kiss, her confession, everything…but I couldn't help the worry from spiking in my chest. Would things be awkward today? Did Aislinn already regret what had happened?

The doubts plagued my brain all morning as I showered and dressed until I made up my mind to stop acting so anxious.

Because, truth was, it didn't really matter if Ace didn't want me ever after all that had happened. Yes, it would still hurt immensely, but I wouldn't be able to regret a single thing. I had stopped dwelling on what if's and what could be's, and I actually found out the reality of what would happen if I told Aislinn the truth.

Not to mention, my lips still tingled from the kiss we had shared.

Amazingly, I arrived on set at the same time as Ace. She was chaining her bike to the rack as I pulled up in my car. She turned when she heard my car door slam, and my eyes were first drawn to the new-found clarity in her eyes, and then to her lips.

I was quickly going to wear out the memory of our kiss.

Scratch that….it couldn't be done. I would never get tired of that image in my head.

"Hey," she greeted me with a smile that made my heart skip a beat.

"Good morning. You're looking regret free."

Her laugh echoed through the parking lot.

"I guess it's your lucky day, Mr. Chambers."

She winked at me, and I couldn't help but feel validated. I had worked so hard for so long to keep my flirting to a minimum because I didn't want to be too obvious or to make her uncomfortable. But, here we were, openly flirting in the parking lot without shame. It felt amazing.

"So, does this mean…we're…like…?"

I couldn't find my words. I just couldn't get past the hope in my chest that was so intense it was very nearly pain.

Aislinn knew what I was talking about anyway. "Official?" All I could do was nod. "Not quite yet. I still have some details I need to take care of."

'_Oh, right, Sam_,' I thought instantly before I realized that she had implied that we _would_ be official; it was no longer a question of _if_. I couldn't keep the face-splitting smile from my lips. Although, I instantly felt a small amount of guilt claw at my consciousness; it was hard to be upset considering Aislinn was saying everything I had longed to hear, but Sam was my friend as I was screwing him over in a major way.

Actually, I had already screwed him over. Damn, why hadn't I realized this earlier?

As if reading my thoughts, Aislinn nodded just slightly. Then, she grabbed my hand and gave a light squeeze before she walked into Epitome's studio, leaving me alone in the parking lot.

'_It is so on_,' I thought to myself triumphantly before walking after Aislinn into the building.

**-Aislinn's Point of View- **

"I called you, like, twenty times last night," Jordy complained, sneaking up on me as I got my hair curled. I jumped, and the curler burned my scalp.

"Ouch," I yelped, wincing.

"Whoops, sorry," Jordy muttered sheepishly. "I didn't mean to scare you. But seriously, what gives?"

"I just had a lot on my mind yesterday. I needed some me time to sort some things out."

"Does it have anything to do with your meeting with Munro yesterday?"

"It has everything to do with that; I have a lot to tell you."

"So tell me," Jordy offered simply.

"It's really stuff I would prefer to tell you alone…no offence" I said quietly, trying not to hurt the hair stylist's feelings.

"That's fine, sugar, I'm almost finished. Then you two can go somewhere and talk privately."

True to her word, the stylist was finished in five minutes flat. Jordan, who already had her hair done as Adam and had apparently visited wardrobe, immediately grabbed my arm and lead me to her dressing room. She never had been very patient.

"Time to spill your guts, Paul."

I sighed as she locked the door behind her. "Where do I even start?"

"What did Munro have to tell you that was so important; let's start with that."

Jordy was going to freak; I just knew it. "That he loves me."

"Wait…loves you as in…romantic, I want you to be my one and only kind of love?"

I blushed with pleasure. "The very kind."

"Holy fucking crap; I knew it! So wait, what did he say? I mean, you like him back, right? You have to. You two are, like, meant to be. Oh, shit, what about Sam? Damn girl, your milkshake brings all the boys to the yard!"

This time my blush was not one of pleasure. "Ew, Jordy, can you never say that ever again?"

"Sorry…I got carried away. I require details…lots of details."

I filled Jordy in on everything- telling her about my blowup after Munro's confession, my instant regret, the kiss, my walk in the park, and everything in between.

"Wow…that sounds like some night you had there."

"You're telling me," I muttered sarcastically.

"You know you have to talk to Sam as soon as possible. I mean, I am beyond happy that you and Munro have finally embraced the fact that you have loved each other forever, but Sam really didn't deserve what you did to him. He's a good friend to you. You need to fix this."

I was grateful to have a best friend like Jordan to tell me like it was no matter how painful that might be for me to hear. But, all the same my heart dropped into my stomach, the way it had been doing since the kiss with Munro, whenever I thought of the impending talk with Sam. He really was a great friend, and he deserved better that what I had done for him.

"I kind of a bitch, huh? I kind of made up my mind that I wanted to try this out with Munro, but there is still half of me that doesn't want to give up on Sam. He's going to hate me, though. He probably won't want to work things out after I tell him what happened. Damnit, I thought I had figured all this out last night, but I'm still so confused."

"I think you're allowed to be confused- they are both great guys."

"Thanks for the help," I muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, I can't make up your mind for you as much as Sam or Munro can. You are the one who has to figure out your feelings. But that doesn't change that fact that Sam deserves to be in the know."

Jordy was eyeing me sternly and I knew she was 100% right. After filming today I would have to take a trip to Sam's house.

This afternoon would be less than fun.

**-Sam's Point of View-**

Aislinn called during her lunch break at the studio, waking me up. She had asked to come over after she was done, but there was an uneasiness to her voice that made me nervous. I agreed anyway, anxious to see her. I had gone an entire day without talking to her, and I wasn't clingy, but I enjoyed her company.

By the time I had showered, dressed, and eaten a healthy-sized breakfast Aislinn called again to say she was on her way over. I looked at the clock; it was 1:40. This was perfect…we could catch an early movie and then go out to dinner or something.

I surfed the inter-web as I waited for Ace to show, creeping on Tumblr and sending some obnoxious tweets that always seemed to inspire equally odd responses from my fans. I was so caught up in answering as many tweets as I could that I barely heard the light knock on the door that alerted me to Aislinn's arrival.

My heart skipped a beat as I quickly tweeted my departure, leaving out the reason for my quick retreat, and ran to the door.

When I swung it open and got a good look at Aislinn's face. As soon as the expression there registered in my mind my heart immediately dropped into the soles of my shoes. This was not good; not good at all.

"Hi," the simple word came out choked. "How are you?"

I eyed her skeptically. "I'm certainly better than you seem to be feeling. What gives, my Ace of Hearts?"

"Clever," she replied fondly, but her voice was tinged with sadness and regret. In fact, if I wasn't mistaken Aislinn was about to burst into tears. And I knew her face well enough that I was rarely mistaken.

Sure enough, a few started to roll down her cheeks. I ignored the warning signals blaring in my head, and I pulled her into my arms, stroking her back softly, trying to comfort her.

Almost as soon as I had initiated the embrace, though, she pushed at my chest. I stepped back to look at her, confused, but she didn't give me a chance to demand an explanation. "Don't…I don't deserve your comfort or pity. I…I did something horrible…to you."

My throat closed in panic, but I managed to choke out, "Don't be silly; I feel perfect. If you had done something horrible to me I would be in shatters."

"There is still time for that," she cried, her tone breaking my heart into a million pieces.

"Aislinn, you're freaking me out. Whatever it is you know you can just talk to me…"

"I…Munro and I…we…kissed. I…we…he's…"

Aislinn seemed to be at a loss for words- not that it mattered, I had stopped comprehending after 'kissed' and 'Munro' had been in the same sentence together. Damnit, damnit, damnit all to hell! He had told her he was in love with her, and she loves him, too. I knew as soon as the cat was out of the bag she was going to second guess her feelings for me, but I never guessed it would take her such a short time to sort everything out.

Despair crushed me at the same time anger, white hot anger, grabbed a hold of my thoughts. Everything seemed to be tainted with red, and I turned to glare at her.

"So you and I…you don't really love me, do you? You didn't mean it when you said it at the park."

Her guilty expression was enough to break my heart; to rip it to shreds. I would deal with that later, though. I had something else to take care of first. Munro knew Aislinn and I were a thing, and he had seriously violated the bro code. I needed to track him down…have a nice…_chat_.

I was angry at Aislinn, too; I'm sure she hadn't been so passive in the whole situation. I sneered at her in disdain.

"I'm leaving. And when I get back home you had better be gone, too."

Aislinn flinched at the anger so evident in my voice. I wasn't one to get violent, but I was feeling the need to punch a wall…or Munro's face.

"Sam, I'm really sorry…I never meant for this to…"

"Get out!" I screamed at her. I didn't want to hear her empty apologies they meant nothing to me at the moment. I was beyond the point of rationality.

She quickly obeyed, scurrying out of my house, her face pale.

Not two seconds after she was gone I stormed out of the door…headed to Munro's house.

The walk probably should have refocused my energy, dispelled my anger, but, if anything, I was even angrier by the time I was standing on Munro's doorstep.

I gave three, loud, angry raps to the door, and Thomas answered almost immediately.

"Is Munro home?" I growled.

"Um, yeah…hey man, are you okay?"

'_It's not his fault, it's not his fault_,' I chanted to myself. '_He may look like Munro, but he isn't the one who kissed your girlfriend…ex-girlfriend._'

"Peachy. Look, if you know what's good for you, you will move out of my damn way."

"Sure. He's upstairs in his room."

Thomas actually sounded frightened; good. I hoped Munro had the same reaction.

Munro's bedroom door was closed, but it wasn't locked, so I charged in. Munro was sitting at his computer, and he whirled around when the door hit the wall.

"Oh, Sam," Munro got pale the second he registered the look on my face. "I wasn't expecting you."

"What the fuck, man?" was all I could manage.

"I guess Aislinn talked to you…um, if it's any consolation I never wanted to hurt you. Things just got complicated, and I had to tell her. It was a compulsion."

"I knew you liked her, that's not why I'm angry. I'm not even mad that you told her about it because, like I said, I wanted to handle this civilly. But we are way beyond civil; you crossed that line when you _kissed _my girlfriend. I thought we were friends!"

"We are friends!"

"How can you even claim that after doing what you did?"

"Dude, Sam, I think you need to calm down a bit. You're overreacting."

That was it…all reasonable thoughts broke away and I ran at his smiling face and I swung. Hard. My fist came in contact with his jaw, and I hear a satisfying thud and a light click.

Munro cried out in pain, his hand immediately coming to cup his jaw.

I had to say, getting that out of my system allowed all rational thoughts to return to my brain, and I let the anger bleed out slowly.

Then, as I stood watching Munro gently prod his jaw, I realized what I had done.

"Oh, shit, Munro, I'm so sorry. Crap…I-I've got to go. You should probably ice that. Fuck!"

And with that, I ran out of Munro's house feeling ashamed, embarrassed, but, most of all, broken hearted.

**I've never ended a chapter in anyone's point of view but Aislinn's. This is weird, eh? But totally necessary. **

**One more chapter left! Actually, I'm already working on it. So, it should be done in the next day or so. I decided that, since the ideas are so fresh in my mind, I'll complete this fiction before updating my others. **

**Thank you for reading you lovely people!**

**Review? =) **


	8. Closed Door Open Window

**Okay people, this is the very last chapter of It Had to Be You. It's been a crazy ride, huh? You have all been amazing, and I thank each and every one of you for your support. There were so many reviews, favorite, and story alerts that my ego is bursting. I'm kidding, but you really have been great, and I am beyond thankful. **

**This chapter will be written entirely in Aislinn's point of view. I hope this isn't a great disappointment for anyone. **

**As a last reminder, I do not own Degrassi. I also do not own Motion City Soundtrack- their song It Had to Be You was the inspiration for the title, obviously. **

**For those of you who are dedicated fans of the bad, such as myself, you will recognize some of the lyrics in this chapter. I in no way, shape, or form claim Justin Pierre's lyrics as my own words, they are simply brilliant. So, seeing as I used the title, I decided to make this last chapter a bit of an homage to the song. The lyrics are hidden in the dialogue, and may be altered slightly to make more sense in context. **

**If you get the chance, go look up the lyrics…and then smile when you realize which lines I've decided to use for the chapter. Heck, if you're feeling ambitious, go give the song a listen before you read the chapter. It's really great; I doubt you'll be disappointed. **

**Longest note ever, I know, but there won't be one at the end. So I had to get everything out now. Please let me know what you think at the end! So, without further ado, chapter 8:**

It was the day we were to start filming our season finale- meaning everyone in the cast was called to the set all day. There would be several opportunities for breaks, and chances to chill in the greenroom, but most of the day we would be acting as extras if we didn't have a speaking role in the scene we were filming. Our season finales were almost always dances in the more recent seasons, so everyone was used if only for a second.

Normally, I loved filming the finale. Yes, it was bittersweet because that meant we would be going on hiatus shortly, but we also got to spend time together as a cast. And I meant altogether, which happened rarely.

However, my stomach was doing nervous flips as I walked to the studio. The anxiety of facing Sam and Munro in the same room was making me sick.

I just couldn't get the way Sam's face had crumpled right before his anger had kicked in, out of my head. Or the way he had yelled at me…

Sam didn't yell, and he had most certainly never yelled at me.

Not that I hadn't deserved it…I did…still do.

Just as I walked into the parking lot Jordy rushed out, throwing her arms around me. I had called her last night after I had rushed home from Sam's. When she realized I was in tears she promised me an extra big hug the next day. She would have been over that every minute if her mom didn't have a bizarre curfew for her when she had to go in to film.

"Are you feeling any better?"

I laughed humorlessly. "Not really- I screwed up big time. I never wanted to lose Sam as a friend, but I'm pretty sure I did a thorough job of screwing up our entire relationship."

I felt Jordy's hand rub small, comforting circles across my back. "I've got your back all day, girl. If things get awkward or hostile we'll just retreat to my dressing room for a few minutes."

"Have I ever told you that you're the best friend a girl could ever ask for?"

"Maybe once or twice…not that it matters; I don't have to be told I'm awesome to know it."

A small giggle escaped me; Jordan always knew what to say to make me feel better. After winking at me we walked through the double doors of the building, and I took a deep breath. I could do this. I _had _to do this.

As it turned out, I hadn't needed to stress so much about the first few hours. As soon as I was inside the studio I was whisked away to hair, then makeup, and, lastly, to wardrobe. We were filming the scenes from the dance first so our crew could work on cleaning out our gym set while we filmed in the hallways. I was put in a deep purple dress that was right up Clare's alley- something that accented my curves but wasn't too revealing.

After an hour and a half had gone by of nonstop commotion I was finally able to take a break, alone, in my dressing room. I was looking over my script, and mumbling my lines to myself when there was a light knock at my closed door.

I had expected Jordan or Mindy or even Munro…but I had never expected to find an ashamed looking Sam on the other side.

Yet, there he was- the expression on his face more of a confusion than the fact that he wanted to see me at all after what had happened the night before. I was the one who should be looking contrite…not him.

"Could I, um, maybe come in?"

His voice was a strange mix of regret, anger, and sadness. It broke my heart all over again, but I stepped aside as he quickly paced past me. I locked the door behind him- figuring this needed to be a private conversation.

I didn't know what to say, but for some reason Sam was looking at me expectantly- as if I had come to _his_ room to talk, not the other way around.

I decided to go with the first thing that came to mind:

"I really am sorry, Sam. You might not want to hear it, and you certainly don't have to believe it, but I never wanted to hurt you like that. I may not love you exactly the way you want me to, but I love you dearly as a friend."

Sam barked out a dark laugh that made me cringe. "Yeah, yeah; I know. I'm…well I'm sorry, too."

_What?_

I wanted to ask out loud what the hell he could possibly be sorry for, but my mouth had popped open in a surprised 'o' and I couldn't get it to move. Luckily, Sam seemed to understand the question the expression on my face undoubtedly implied.

"Look, as much as Munro really deserved it, I hadn't meant to lose my temper like that. It wasn't very mature of me, and I really do feel bad about what I did."

"Did you…oh God, Sam; you didn't kill him, did you?"

"Oh, so I assume you haven't seen him yet this morning. Well, let's just say the bruise is most definitely my fault."

I let the relief fill my body as I realized Sam hadn't killed Munro…he had only decked him. Wait, what?

"You punched him?"

"Don't look at me like that; I think it was totally merited. I was angry, and that anger needed an outlet. It just so happened that Munro's face seemed to be a convenient solution."

Despite myself I giggled. How was it that even when Sam and I were both quite obviously falling to pieces slowly, he could still make me laugh? I hoped I was making the right decision.

A small, private smile flashed over Sam's face for just a moment before the pain flooded back into his eyes.

"You didn't come here to apologize about Munro's face, though, did you?"

"You always were a smart girl."

"So…what is this about?"

"I came…," Sam winced, clearly struggling with his words, "to give you my blessing."

"You're here to do what now?" I asked in disbelief.

"Please don't make me say it again, Aislinn. It hurts. However, he makes you happy…he always has. I saw this coming the moment he opened his mouth to say his first line. I don't want to have to, but I'm letting you go because I need you to be happy."

"Thank you," the tears in my eyes made my voice incredibly thick, and I could scarce talk above a strained whisper. It was a good thing our makeup artist always used waterproof mascara.

"You should know this doesn't mean I'm giving up, though."

"Sam, please," I whispered brokenly.

"No. I know what girl I want, Aislinn. I've tried to have feelings for others…but it's you. It had to be you; I knew it was you for a while now. I'll wait until you and Munro have had your fun…because, even though you hurt me immensely, I know you're worth the wait. I love you, Ace. I can't just turn it off like a switch. So I'll wait."

"I wish you wouldn't," I plead with him, trying to make him understand. "I want you to have a chance to be happy, too. Waiting for me will only make you miserable."

"And pretending like I have feelings for another girl would be ten times worse. I know you think that these feelings probably started for me when we first kissed those few days ago, but that's not true. I've had my eye on you since the middle of filming season 9. You're amazing, and I waited so long for that kiss, and I'll wait again. It's nothing new for me."

I viciously suppressed the sob that was trying to push its way out; I didn't want Sam to hear how much his speech had affected me. It would only make things harder for him, and I had already screwed with his life enough.

He slowly crossed the room, his eyes never breaking their contact with mine. When he was close enough that I could feel his breath fan across my face, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to my forehead. I closed my eyes, feeling the tears spill over and roll down my face. Sam then moved his lips to my cheeks, kissing away the tears.

"Goodbye, Ace," he whispered softly against my lips before pulling away quickly, leaving me alone in my room. When I heard the door close I couldn't hold back any longer.

I let the sob break free from my chest as it constricted in pain.

XXX

Shortly after the conversation with Sam I was called to set; everyone was called to set. We were given our instructions about where our characters would be placed on the dance floor, every scene having its own unique corner. The actual extras filled up the rest of the space.

It took me much longer than usual to lose myself in the character I had become so familiar with after so many years of developing her. What with Sam's longing stares from across the gym and Munro's friendly, subdued small talk I thought it would be impossible to completely become Clare, but, thankfully, I let Aislinn fall by the wayside along with all Aislinn's trouble. Ah, the joys of being an actress.

The day was long, and for the first time in just about ever, it actually felt like work. The only thing that kept me sane was the fact that I could retreat behind Clare when we were on set, and when we were off, I could retreat to Jordy's dressing room.

I wanted to tell Munro the good news- that there wasn't anything standing in our way anymore- but I needed the chance to compose myself. Sam's earlier words had reached all the emotions I had been trying to suppress and brought them to the surface. I didn't want Munro to know how much Sam's act of valiance had upset me anymore than I wanted Sam to know. It would only end up hurting them both somewhere down the line.

Jordy had agreed to that line of logic, and had suggested I talk to Munro after we were all done filming for the day. I felt bad about making him wait, but there really wasn't any other option.

When Stephan finally called a wrap for the day I hurried to my room to change out of my costume. When I was back in my street clothes I practically ran to Munro's room, barely containing my excitement. As much as I was upset about hurting Sam I was thrilled to be with Munro.

"Come on in, I'm decent," Munro called when I knocked on his door.

"That's too bad," I joked, slipping in and closing the door behind me.

Munro whirled around. "Oh, hey Ace. I was about to come find you, actually."

"I have good news," I ignored his comment, getting right to the point.

"Do you now? That's my favorite kind of news; lay it on me."

"There is no longer anything in our way."

"You mean…Sam's out of the picture?"

I mentally winced, but kept my face composed. "He gracefully ducked out, leaving room for only you. Well…maybe not so gracefully," I noted, pointing to the greenish-purple bruise on Munro's jaw that was now visible. Apparently, Munro had removed his makeup.

Munro immediately brought his hand up to prod gently at the sensitive skin. "He had every right. Besides, I have to give him some respect; I never knew he had such a killer right hook."

I rolled my eyes; I would never understand men.

"He said he's sorry, by the way."

"I know he is, but he really doesn't have to be. Like I said, he was well within his right. I was out of line….not that I regret a thing."

The way he was looking at me turned my insides to jelly, and I was almost certain I felt my knees go weak. The way my heart was soaring reminded me that I had made the right choice for me. There was no denying the way Munro made me feel.

"So, we're official now, right?"

"Right," Munro confirmed, a smirk playing on his lips.

I laughed at how informal all this was, and Munro's gaze landed near my lips. I shivered as he crossed the room to me.

"I won't get punched again for doing this, correct?" Munro smiled down at me, winding his arms around my waist. His face was getting dangerously close to mine.

Instead of answering the question, I smashed my lips against his, sighing slightly. Munro chuckled into the kiss, and I took that as an opportunity to deepen it. My hands wound themselves in his soft hair as he pulled me as close to his body as I could possibly get.

Before things could get too heated, though, there was a knock at the door.

"Ace, I know you're in there, too," Jordy's voice called out. "We're all meeting in the cafeteria for food before we head home. I know you two probably want to get your snuggle on, but it's time to bond with the cast!"

"We'll be there in a sec," I called to her and I heard her laugh echo all the way down the hall.

When I turned back to him, I found Munro staring at me with a bemused expression. I raised my eyebrows at him in question.

"You know, I used to think what a disaster it would be if you discovered that I cared a little too much for friends, but apparently not enough to share. I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm so happy you feel the same way, Aislinn. Beyond thrilled."

"Well, I'm happy you decided to finally share."

A sweet, private smile lit up his face as he watched me with adoring eyes. I leaned in to peck him quickly on the lips once more before grabbing his hand and leading him to the cafeteria. We sat at the same table as Jordy, Mindy and Ray. No one commented on the way Munro's arm was loosely hung around my shoulders- it was like they had all expected it to happen eventually so it wasn't surprising.

I let myself get lost in the joyous banter of my best friends. After several minutes though, I felt something compelling me to look up. As I did, I saw Sam slowly backing out of the cafeteria, his eyes on me. He blushed when I met his gaze, and his face crumpled softly.

I tried to ignore the way my heart constricted, but it was hard. When Sam completely disappeared around the corner, lyrics from a song he had once put on one of the mix CD's he had made for me back when our friendship was strongest ran though my head.

I snuggled in closer to Munro, letting my head fall into the crook of his shoulder. I discreetly wiped away the single tear that had escaped as someone else's words summed up the feelings in my heart that I could not accurately express.

"_And after it ends, we'll try to be friends. They say that what doesn't kill us makes us who we are._"


End file.
